


The Dove and The Crow

by TheNinjaGirl93



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Redemption, Tragic Romance, hand mouths, mypoorcharacters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2020-06-25 15:53:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 44,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19748926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNinjaGirl93/pseuds/TheNinjaGirl93
Summary: There's a story of a monster from Iwagakure. No one really thought to ask, what made her a monster? Before she even has the chance to prove herself, her twin ruins it all. Now branded a criminal for a crime she did not commit, can she find redemption in the Akasuki?





	1. Chapter 1

The shout of angry villagers were right behind me. My feet pounded against the ground, the rocks around me a blur as I ran away from what was once my home. I still didn't understand why they were after me. They claimed I blew up a section of the village but I had just gotten back from a mission. People called me a liar, a murderer but they were wrong. My theory, someone who looks like me framed me because of who I am. I’m the Henkei Kaiju of Iwagakure. 

I tried my best not to, but the ninja chasing me left me no choice but to use my explosives.  
"Ka!" I yelled, the bombs I planted behind me went off less then a second later. It wasn't meant to hurt anyone, but one kunoichi got to close. I wanted in horror as she disintegrated into nothing. I didn't want to end that way...I turned and ran faster than before, using far more chakra up than I should have.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------  
I collapsed, my legs no longer able to carry me. I'd been running nonstop for three days with no rest. I finally came to the edge of a forest and managed to hide in low branches of the trees. I hoped to lose the few that followed me. Luck was, somewhat, on my side. They gave up after searching for an hour and left me alone. Knowing my village, they would send out more specialized ninja to get me. I had been apart of the explosion corps and was now a threat to the villages safety. I knew some pretty good information other villages would just love to get ahold of. I planned to be far from here by then.  
I don't have a home anymore. Sure, it wasn't much, but at least I was finally being recognized as a ninja. Or I was, until the guards came to take me in. But that was after…

"Ugh!" I punched the ground, hard enough to leave a small crater. That bastard...I didn't have time to dwell on what he did to me. I was disgusted with myself enough already, he just made it worse. I had to keep moving, find a small village and change clothes quickly if I was going to survive. Deciding that if I pushed too hard, I might not make it. Begrudgingly decided to break here.  
Unfortunately during my hasty escape, I had very little time to resupply my inventory. At least I had my mission standard clothes still, even if they were badly torn. The only thing I didn’t have anymore were my leather gloves. They used to hide the horrible curse The Tsuchikage placed on me at birth. He was hoping to use it to save the village, but the downside wasn’t worth it. The Iwagakure Kinjutsu was a powerful one, but it had an ugly downside. The mouths are your hands were nearly uncontrollable, and the one on you chest led directly to you heart.The medical ninja that was there during the process had sealed my chest mouth shut for good. It saved my life, but I was lucky. The other babies that were tested died in the first hour, because the Tsuchikage wouldn’t allow anymore children to have that mouth sealed. 

The mouth on my right hand was bleeding from biting its own lip, but it wouldn’t let me heal it, so I stuffed a wad of gaze in it and wrapped it tightly. I truly wish it could choke. Forcing myself up, I tired to move on and keep a head of the next wave of shinobi. I knew the trackers would be out soon to try and find me. According to the suns position, I was heading towards Taigakure, southwest of Iwagakure. Wasn't the best idea, but what choice did I have? At least it was known to be hidden.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
It was closing in on sunset before I saw anyone else on the road. I had stayed close to it but not directly on it to orient myself. There were two of them, both wearing the same black coat with red clouds one it. One was short and had a cloth obscuring his face and the other...no...impossible. He looked like me! Blonde hair, blue eyes...same face. They stopped walking, turning to see who was coming up to their resting spot. He and I stared at one another for a moment, frozen in shock.  
It was odd, finding someone who looked just like you out in the woods like this. Same long, blonde hair, same almond shaped blue eyes and our faces were identical to boot.  
"And who the hell are you, un!?" He rudely barked, standing up from the fallen log he was sitting on. "What makes you think you can steal my look?"   
"I'm...just as confused as you." He even had my speech expedient. I was able to keep it under control as long as I wasn't mad. "Wait...did you blow the village up?" It made since, we looked alike and everything. They also seemed to be heading away from the village. His smirk gave him away.  
"Blow up? Tsk, I made it into art, un!" His eyes lit up and had an excited gleam in them. It freaked me out.  
"Brat...I told you art is eternal." The short one rasped.   
They got into an argument for a while which gave me time to think things over. I decided to try to get away while they were distracted but was stopped when a metal tail launched from the short ones coat and stopped short of slicing my throat. H-he’s a puppet?!  
"Where do you think you're going?" He asked. "We're not done talking. Who are you?"  
"W-who are you, un?" Damn, I let it slip.  
"I should ask you!” The blonde glared at both of us. "Why do you look like me, un?" He asked, his voice lower than before.  
"Heh, barley on the team a week and you have copycats, eh Deidara?" A large man that looked like a shark grinned came from the other side of the road. 

Another followed, a dark haired man, who was...beautiful didn't describe it. I tried not to look into his eyes, but was captivated by them. I’d never seen someone with piercing red eyes before. Then it clicked, those weren’t normal eyes, it was the sharingan! I’d never seen it upclose, but heard about it from my teacher.  
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" The blonde, Deidara grabbed me by my shirt, pulling out of the trance of the raven’s eyes.   
"That anyway to grab a lady?" The short one rasped. I glared, watching Deidara's face turn red as he realized a couple of things. First, I was no man and second, he had a hold of the proof. The way he had grabbed my top tore what was left of the longer sleeve off completely, exposing my right shoulder and the bra underneath. He quickly let me go, like I burned him.  
"W-who are you?" my voice was giving out. That's what running for so long got you, well and maybe getting caught off guard by two other people.  
"That's what I just asked you…" Deidara sneered at me. Besides the obvious, we looked the same up until the hairstyle. Mine was currently in a messy braid while his was up in a half ponytail.  
"Nina." I said flatly to my twin. We had to be, there was no other explanation. "I'm guessing you're Deidara?" That got the shark man to bark a laugh, he was getting dangerously close.  
"Tsh, what are you doing out here, un?" He was easy to anger too.  
"Someone tried to blow up Iwagakure. At first, I wasn't sure why they were after me, but now…" I motioned to him. "Someone saw you and thought it was me, un." The slip got me a death glare from Deidara.   
"Thought since I was leaving the area, why not." I didn't like the smirk he gave. It took a moment to understand why, but it was too late. I felt a sharp pinch to the back of my shoulder and turned around to see the shorter man. I watched the scorpion like tail retract, knowing he'd just done something to me.   
“Was that necessary?” A deep, but calm voice said just before I blacked out.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
I woke up with my hands and feet bound together, leaned up against a tree with a gag in my mouth. I rolled my eyes, thinking the gag was over kill. No one but us were on the road or anywhere nearby. Besides, who’s save me? On the other side of the tree, I could hear the four men talking.  
"Let's just kill her and get it over with." The voice belonged to the shark man. I struggled a little, but these bounds were tight. Whoever did them knew what they were doing, but it didn’t stop me from trying to get out.  
"She would make a great puppet..." My guess was the puppet guy said that. That's why the short man had look real, it was from a person! I struggled a little more, trying to get free. I didn't want to die just yet, and I really didn't want to become a puppet.  
"No. She could be useful." The voice must have belonged to the raven haired man. His voice definitely matched his looks. The way he spoke to them though, it left no room for them to question it. He must be their leader...He had the authority, despite looking only a few years older than me. "The Akatsuki could use her as a spy or for covert infiltration."  
"Besides that, I wanna know why she looks like me!" Deidara yelled. For a group that seemed to not want to be found, they sure were loud.  
I heard a shift in the leaves beside me and I looked up from my struggling to see two piercing red eyes, glowing in the dark. I gasped, falling over as I tried in vain to get away. It was the raven haired man, he had moved so quietly and swift...and those eyes. I couldn't stop looking at them, knowing I shouldn't. He raised an eyebrow at me, probably thinking I was stupid for looking into them.  
"She awake, Itachi?" The shark called to us, he sounded excited. I feared him the most, but that was only because he gave off a menacing vibe.  
"Yes." Itachi said curtly. I watched as his hand came up slowly, reaching to lower the gag. I turned my head a little, hoping he wasn't actually going to hurt me instead. Thankfully he didn't, doing the opposite of what I thought, and helped me sit back up. He did however then quickly throw me over his shoulder, causing me to yelp.

"Hey! Put me down!" I couldn't really stop him though, My arms were behind my back and my legs were still bound. He gave a soft snort at me, one only I could have heard. Was he messing with me? He put me down once we were in the middle of the group, though not as hard as he could have. He was surprisingly gentle, for someone who hung out with a bunch of criminals.  
"You gave her the antidote, right brat?" The puppet asked, the mask over its face lifting slightly, showing the terrifying sight below. I never would allow him to make me into something so gruesome.   
"Yeah, yeah. She's not gonna die on us." Deidara waived him off. Die?! I felt panic starting to take over again. I was completely helpless...No! Don’t think of that now...but they could do anything to me right now.  
I finally got to see all of them more clearly in the glow of their fire. The shark man was far more terrifying to look at than the puppet. His teeth were sharpened, his skin really was blue, along with his hair, and he had what looked to be gills on his cheeks. I saw all were also missing ninja, based on the slashes through the headbands. Konoha, Suna, Iwa and Kiri. Though if I proved it wasn't me that blew up a part of Iwagakure...no, I'd die before I could take Deidara out. The other three would make sure of that.  
"Good. Well, you know far too much to be released...and we can't really kill you." The shark said, planting his sword near me. He seemed upset that Itachi wouldn't let him kill me, I was grateful for that. "But if you try to escape…" He grinned and I swore the sword purred. I tried to inch away from it, but it was useless.  
"Got it…" I glared at him.  
"Kisame." Itachi warned.  
"I've heard of you..." Deidara spoke up, kneeling in front of me. At least he finally figured out who I was. I guess he figured it out when he grabbed my shirt, seeing the sealed mouth on my chest when the shirt ripped. "Though we didn't call you Nina."  
"I'm sure you didn't…" No, I was known as something else. For two reasons, the first being the kenjutsu, the second...I killed my mother with my birth. I guess she had been someone somewhat important for them to be angry about me being born.   
"Henkei Kaiju." There it was, my favorite nickname...if I wasn't tied up I would have punched him hard enough to make his head spin. "The deformed monster of Iwa...so what's wrong with you? I don't see anything wrong with you, un."  
"I do." The puppet sneered, making Deidara glare daggers at him. I think he just insulted our looks. That's when I noticed Deidara's hand, the Iwagakure Kinjutsu…  
"How did you get that?!" I asked, unable to point, but motioned with my head what I meant. He looked stupidly at his hands, like I'd asked him the dumbest question in the world. "I have it too…" It was a curse.  
"You do? So you know how great this power is, un?!" I felt my face fall to disbelieve at his words.  
"No! It's a curse, un!"  
"A curse? Is that what they told you? Tsh, they're robbing you of the greatest art form!" He got this air about him, and went on about how his art was the greatest expression of how life should be. He was quite animated about it too...  
"Art? What?" Did he mean the explosions? This caused the puppet to laugh darkly at him.  
"I told you, your art form isn't worth anything." He smirked.  
"What do you know Sasori?" So that was the puppet's name. I was left more confused than anything, the two of them were on another world at this point.  
"Enough." Itachi's low voice overpowered their bickering. "It's been decided. Leader-sama wants us to bring her back with us. Alive."  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
I still wasn't allowed to be untied of course, so Deidara threw me up onto a clay bird he made, one similar looking to the ones I can make, though mine looked more realistic and less cartoon like. I couldn’t really hold on or sit on it correctly like this, making it so someone had to fly with me. Kisame volunteered, but thankfully it was clear to Itachi what he wanted to do and he was told no. Itachi said he would.  
“If she tries anything, I can easily take her out.” It was a warning from the raven to keep still.   
The only thing keeping me on the bird was Itachi. He had a hold of my arm, keeping me from falling a thousand feet down. I had to side side saddle, so I got a great view of the way down. The others were on their own birds, with ours in the middle of the formation.   
I just couldn't stop staring at Itachi. Of course I had heard of him, he was a clan killer, but no one would suspect a man looking like he did could do it. He had a kind face, and something in his eyes told me he held a deep secret, one that was tearing him up inside. I saw him glance back at me, feeling my face flush a little at getting caught staring.  
"What is it that you want?" He finally spoke, turning to look at me.His eyes weren't red anymore, but a deep brown that seemed almost black. He was art is you asked me.  
"No. Just wondering what went so wrong that you got here." I could have said anything, but that's what I blurted. Now he’s gonna think I’m trying to flirt..I criticize myself.  
"Is that really what you were thinking? Your face says otherwise." I felt the blush darken across my cheeks. I hadn't been drooling over him, if that's what he was implying.  
"Someone thinks highly of himself, un." I watched his lips move slightly upwards. Was that a smile?  
"Whatever you were thinking, it cannot happen." He looked forward again, his hair blowing slightly in the wind.  
"Now I wanna know what you were thinking." I wanted to see if I could break his mask. He glanced at me, but didn't answer. Oh, that's how it's gonna be. "Not talking now, huh?" He stayed silent the rest of the way, but I kept asking questions. Most were stupid things, like what his favorite color was, but he never answered. He did seem amused by it thought.  
"You won't get him to crack." Kisame called to me, over hearing what was going on. Deidara just glared back at us, seemingly pissed Itachi was getting attention. This made me determined to figure out who exactly was Itachi Uchiha?  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Their base was in the middle of the rain village. Honestly I would have chosen a sunny-er area, but that was because I wasn't a fan of the rain. It hindered flying.

"Is this her?" A woman appeared from the shadows when we landed. The platform was narrow and on the roof on, making it odd getting off of the bird. The blue haired woman had an umbrella open even though it wasn't raining. The moment I thought that, it started to rain again, drinching us in seconds.   
"Come." She turned around to the building and lead us inside. Itachi untied my legs before helping me off, but kept a tight hold on my still bound arms. I was kind of glad, I really didn’t want to fall of the slippery platform.   
"Where's Pein?" Kisame asked.  
"Resting." Was all the blue haired women said. "Deidara, Sasori. Have you two located your target?" She asked as we entered an inclosed area.  
"No, Orochimaru is a slippery devil." Sasori growled, pissed at not getting this Orochimaru guy. "We'll find him…"  
"Good. Itachi, Kisame. You mission went well I hear. For now, rest." She left through a door to the left without another word.  
"Thank you, Konan-sama. Come. We'll find you a room." Itachi said as he took the rest of the restraints off. Finally I was able to ring my hair out. He watched me untie my hair and squeeze the water out, but still stayed unusually stoic. Deidara rushed off in a huff, making sure I knew he didn't like me. He purposely shoulder checked me as he went inside, pushing me into Itachi. I glared at the back of the blonde's head as he disappeared into the darkness.  
"So...who are you guys?" I asked as I followed Itachi towards a different door.   
"We're called, Akasuki." The Uchiha said, disappearing into the darkness of the doorway. I hesitated, which made Kisame pushed me inside.  
"Hurry up! I want to have a warm shower for once." He seemed very eager.

Itachi took me to another floor, telling me this was Deidara, Sasori, Kisame and his floor. It was the only floor with five bedrooms apparently.  
"You'll take the open room." He showed me the door that lead to the room. "Make yourself at home." He sounded bored with me as he turned to leave.  
"Thanks…" but this wasn't the place for me. The air felt heavy with sorrow and damp with unspoken regret. It was suffocating. "Hey, why did you…" But he was gone when I turned back around. I wanted to know why he vouched to not kill me.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The room was sparse with only a bed and a small desk in the corner. The closet was shoved in another corner facing the bed. As far as I was concerned, it was heaven. I flopped on the bed face first, groning at how hard it actually was. That hurt… I sat up to rub my sore nose when someone barged in. At first I thought Itachi was back to say something, but I was very wrong.  
"Well, well. They told me we had new meat. Didn't know it was gonna be another blonde bitch." The silver haired man grinned. The cloak he wore was open, revealing he didn’t wear shirts underneath. At first he had dirt across his chest, but looking again it was blood. He reeked of it and death. "Name's Hidan, cutie. How'd you like to convert to Jashin?" He was a sleeze, the smile he gave proving he didn’t have any good intentions with me.  
"Who the hell do you think you are, un?" I glared at him, standing up but keeping a distance between us. Something told me he was not easy to take down, though he looked it.  
"The guy who is about to give you the welcoming of your life." He started taking off his cloak when someone yanked him backwards out of the room. Good, I was about to cut his dick off. I had a kunai in my hand the second he moved.  
"There you are." A deep voice that sent chills through me, spoke from the hall. I looked out to see a man with piercing bright green and red eyes, the mask over his face made it hard to see much else. The feeling I got from him was even worse that the one I got from Sasori. "We need to leave, now. Stop terrorizing the fresh meat." The nickname wasn't a favorite of mine.I watched him drag Hidan by the collar of his cloak, the silver haired bastard was yelling profanities, telling Kakuzu off.

"That's Hidan and Kakuzu." I nearly shit myself when Sasori appear from around the corner. I know I screamed, I wasn’t proud of it... "I would keep your door locked at night if I were you."  
"Noted…" I tried to get my heartbeat to go back to normal. "He looked at me funny for a second. “What, un?”   
"Your nose is bleeding." Was all he said before slinking away into the room next to mine. I wiped my nose with the back of my hand, seeing I was bleeding. Stupid mattress.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Suicide attempt

Settling in wasn't easy, I'd only been here three days and I think I had maybe one person I liked. No one was particularly friendly, not that I expected a bunch of missing ninja too be, most of them were outright crazy. What I wasn't expecting was the out right loathing I got from Deidara. He had been obsessed with finding out if we were related and forced Kakuzu to run a few tests when he and Hidan returned. It was the only way to shut him up, besides killing him. He was angry at the fact he wasn't an "original", whatever that meant. I was actually kind of happy to have found out that I possibly had a sibling.  
The results came a few days later, revealing what I had already guessed. We were indeed identical twins, but I still had no idea as to why we were separated at birth. I also wanted to know why he was raised by the Tsuchikage and I was thrown out like trash.  
This inforced Deidara's unneeded hatred towards me. No matter what I did, he would call me Henkei Kaiju, which always ended up with us brawling. Today was no different, and currently Itachi and Kisame were holding us apart.  
"What is your problem, un?!" I screamed at him, Itachi pulling me back harder to keep me from punching the daylights out of him. "I haven't done anything to you, and you still hate me. Why?" He spat blood onto the floor, choosing not to answer right then.  
"Because to me, you're nothing but a copycat. A wannabe that will never achieve anything, un."  
"Me? Ha! I had no idea you even existed until last week!" That hurt him, but he had hurt me much worse. "I'm not trying to copy you, we're twins. Of course we're going to have similar abilities! Are you that dense?" I had relaxed enough that Itachi had let me go, making sure I knew he would take me down if I started up again. Kisame however didn't let Deidara go. He was still shaking, with rage or what I have no idea.  
"You aren't me, un." He finally looked up, blood trickling down from his hairline. I'd hit him harder than I meant to. "You never will be me…" He was missing the point, I didn't want to be him.  
"I never wanted to be you." I shot back, turning away and walking out of the training room. I needed to cool off.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
I sat on the rooftop of the building across the way, not caring that I was getting soaked to the bone and on the verge of hypothermia. This hadn't been what I meant by cooling down, but I would take it. Deidara had enforced the fact that I wasn't needed here, or really wanted. But where else was there for me? I pulled my legs into myself, upset but unwilling to cry. I refused to. I wasn't a child, I could get through this, somehow. It was nothing new for me, but I had been so close to changing that. If Deidara had never attacked the village, would any of this have happened? I asked myself, laying my forehead against my knees.  
That's when I noticed the rain wasn't beating down on me anymore. I looked up to see Itachi over me, the umbrella he held shielding us from the rain.  
"What are you doing?" He asked, wondering why I would let myself get soaked. I still had yet to figure this guy out. He was the only one that had been remotely nice to me, but he had no reason too. The only interaction I had with him was when he showed me to my room. After that, I mostly talked to Kisame or Sasori. Neither one were favorable to talk to though.  
"Lamenting that life sucks…" I told him, setting my chin back on my knee. He didn't even scoff at me. "Why are you here?" Again, he didn't really answer, just watched me with those dark eyes. I sighed, not wanting to deal with his Uchiha-ness and stood up. Only then did I see how wet I really was, my clothes sagging off of me; I probably looked like a pathetic, drowned rat in tattered clothing. He took pity on me and handed me the umbrella while I watched him take off his Akatsuki cloak.  
"Here. You'll catch a cold." He said taking the umbrella back and wrapping the cloak over my shoulders. He motioned for me to follow him, least I wanted to get all wet again.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Once back inside, he lead me to our floors washroom. It was warm in here, and I finally felt how cold I had gotten. I was shaking, but I don't remember when that had started. He turned a shower head on to warm the water up, looking back at me like he expected me to be undressed already.  
"Er…" I blushed.  
"I wasn't planning on staying. I'll get you a new set of clothes." He shook his head at me as he left. I could feel how red my face was, embarrassed my mind had gone there.  
Kisame was right, the hot water didn't last very long and I was only able to shower for about ten minutes before it started to go cold. It felt really good against my cold skin though.  
I quickly wrapped myself in my towel and hurried to get dressed, but found my clothes were missing. It was the outfit I had come here in, it was all I had. I panicked a little, wondering who had done it when Itachi came back in. I saw him come in from behind me in the mirror. I watched as my face turned red again as he approached. I stupidly tried to cover myself better.  
"You've never showered with a team before, have you?" He asked, setting the clothes on the sink next to me. I didn't trust my voice, so I shook my head. " You'll get used to it. Here, your old ones were thrown out." He told me.  
"Get used to what? Being naked around guys?" I cursed myself for not having a filter when I got nervous. Why did he make me nervous?  
"There's nothing wrong with it. No one is going to try anything here." I wondered if he meant just on this floor. He wouldn't, Sasori for sure wouldn't but the only one that might would be Kisame. "Get dressed, Pein wants to meet you."  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
I didn't get over the awkwardness of the bathroom incident in time for the meeting. From Itachi's point it hadn't been odd, but he also wasn't the one in just a towel with a guy he barely knew. Maybe that fear just comes from being me...Deidara noticed my avoidance of Itachi and decided to say something when I entered the meeting room.  
"You and the Uchiha fucking in the bathroom? Who knew you were that easy, un." He was such a dick...but I had nothing to counter back with.  
"Fuck off, will you." I glared at him, but this only encouraged him.  
"Tsh, I bet you begged for it." That did it, I threw a premade clay dove at him, letting it expand as it got near him, trapping him in the gooey clay net that sprang from its mouth.  
"I'm done with your mind game, un." He looked surprised that I'd caught him so easily. "One more word Deidara, and I swear…"  
"She truly is a spit fire." A deep voice sounded from the front of the room. I hadn't seen the man sitting in the shadows before. "Nina, please dispel you jutsu. You're new, but the use of explosives inside are strictly prohibited." A red haired man with far too make piercings stood up from the shadows and walked towards the rest of us. His eye terrified me, they looked cold and almost dead looking The aura around him didn't feel quite right either, the air around him felt too still. Was he alive? I did as he said, the clay falling off of my brother in clumps as I released the jutsu.  
"Good. Now that we are all here, I can tell all of you the real mission…"  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Pein revealed we were to gather money by doing odd jobs for each country. The money we gathered apparently was going to be used to uproot the shinobi world. So far, I haven't done anything but help gather requests. Personally, I thought it was a waste of my skills. I had traveled around the village to gather intel, but most of them were interested in paying me for something else. Most of those guys ended up face down in a puddle from a swift kick between their legs. There were a lot of shady people here in Amegakure…  
After rereading a mission list for the tenth time, someone finally pulled me from this mind numbing "mission" by throwing a kunai at me. It landed right in the middle of the paper I was reading.  
"Really? Now I have to rewrite it." I glared at Deidara, who was perched on the back of a chair in the living space. I found out from late night exploring that each floor had a small lounge room in the center. The least used one was the second to the top floor. It was where Pein and Konan lived, but they hardly used it. They used the one in the basement the most. I used this one since it was quiet and easier to get things done here.  
"You're on my team, un." He could be cryptic when he wanted to play mind games. "Get ready." He leapt off the chair and walked away, leaving me to figure out what he meant.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Back on my floor, I nearly got decapitated by an angry Sasori launching his tail at me. It hadn't really been aimed at me, but Deidara dodged it and left me standing in the way. Thank Kami I had good reflexes.  
"You were supposed to tell her to be ready by now." The puppet growled at my brother.  
"Hey, not my fault she wondered upstairs, un!"  
I ignored their spat and went to my room, slamming the door shut to get their attention. This only increased their yelling. The doors were not sound proof at all and I heard every word they said about each other, and about me. I'd gotten over the fact that Deidara just didn't care about me, but it still hurt a little to hear it.  
"I'm not her keeper! Just because she's related to me doesn't make her my responsibility, un!"  
"I wouldn't trust you to look after a rock…when I say to be ready you better both be ready, or else…" Sasori hissed. I ignored the rest, it turned into an art argument again not too long after that anyway.

Only then I remembered my old clothes had been thrown out.  
"Well...that's great…" I opened my closet just to see if there was anything and was surprised. "Who…?" It clicked, it had to have been Itachi. I found new clay pouches, shoes and two more sets of the Akatsuki uniform. I wasn't permitted an official cloak, seeing as they didn't have a real need for another member, but I did still get an all black cloak. For now though, I still had to wrap my hands with bandages to keep the hand mouths from getting in the way. Maybe on this mission I could find new gloves.  
"NINA!" Sasori yelled, and I quickly grabbed my new bag and ran out the door. I learned my second day here, you do not keep Sasori waiting.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
After finally prying it out of my brother, I learned we were going to meet with Kakuzu and Hidan to discuss our next mission. They had been sent out for more "collecting," so this meant a long journey to Tanigakure. The time spent together gave me the chance to learn about Sasori and Deidara's dynamic. On the surface they seemed to hate one another, but they actually were friends. It was kind of cute, making me wonder if there was more to it than they let on.  
This also opened up an opportunity for Deidara and I to learn more about each other. Yes, we looked the same, but I proved we were very different.  
On our breaks, we would test one another to see what our skill sets were. I was much better at Taijutsu than he was, while he was better at Ninjutsu.  
I was easily able to take him down in hand to hand, pissing him off when I pinned him either face down in the dirt or choking him with my legs. When we went full out though, bombs and all, Deidara usually won. That was going to change, I promised him. He just laughed.  
"You're art will never be as cool, un."  
He also showed me that the hand mouths were not evil, I just misunderstood them. They were very useful, just annoying.  
"See, you don't have to cover them all the time, un?" He said unwrapping my left hand while on our break. I had found some gauze and wrapped them up when they kept trying to bite my fingers.  
We compared our clay sculptures, saying mine were interesting, but not worth the effort I put into them.  
"Why bother making them look so real, un? The real art is this." He said, the butterfly he had made flew up into the night sky and exploded into a beautiful firework show. Sasori scolded us for the light show. It hadn't been above the tree line, but it might give us away if ninja were nearby.  
"You idiots and your art form…" He hissed.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
We finally convinced Sasori to stop after a full day. He had been right about the fireworks and we were delayed because of the ensuing fight. The punishment was a full day and night of running. Sasori called us children, but agreed to let us rest, seeing as he refused to carry anyone if they fell. We decided to make camp in a nearby cave for the night.  
"How do you deal with their drooling then?" I asked Deidara as we sat around the small campfire. The wrappings around my hands had torn off, the right had tried to eat part of it and now had it stuck in its throat. It was trying to bite me when I tried to pull it out. He just shrugged, making me gag at the answer. "Gross." He just let them, wiping off extra on his pant leg.  
"What? It's what they do, un." Deidara glared. He was helping me pull the wrapping out of the mouth by trying to hold it open, but the mouth grinned before blowing a raspberry at him. It then spit the wrapping up, launching it into the fire. "Yours are different…" I pulled my hand away, embarrassed by them.  
"That's because I've had them since I was born. You got yours what, a year ago?"  
"And you haven't gotten control of them in all of fourteen years?" He was kind of right, I should but I was taught to never use them. I was scolded and beaten if I ever did. Though they have always been this way, acting out on their own and biting at people. I just assumed it was normal.  
"No…" He at least seemed to recognize the pain they had caused me. "But I can learn now." I smiled softly at him. It was the first time we had a conversation that didn't end in us both beaten and bloody.  
"Don't expect me to teach you, un." He flipped his hair as he walked away, trying to play the part of a bad boy again. I had been wrong about him, he had just been jealous I had the kinjutsu longer than he did. Deep down, he was a caring person, with unfortunate psychotic tendencies.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
When we finally made it to the meeting location. Hidan didn't take his creepy eyes off of me the whole time. I felt violated by his gaze. Sasori and Kakuzu were discussing what mission we were doing, it involved invading a village and taking it over. Deidara was thrilled and Sasori seemed pleased by the fact he could find new puppets. I honestly didn't care for it, but what choice was there? If I refused, I'd be bounced to the next team, and I did not want to join those two.  
"You're not even gonna say hi to me?" Hidan looked me over, seeming to be disappointed that I was wearing a long black cloak. I was happy, he couldn't undress me with his eyes this way. I turned away, listening to what the plan was. Deidara and I would set explosives around the city to draw everyone out. I didn't tell them, but if possible I wasn't going to kill anyone. I never developed a taste for killing.  
Before we left, Hidan grabbed my arm and demanded to know why I wouldn't talk to him.  
"I owe you nothing, un." I pulled my arm away, noticing Deidara had stepped forward.  
"The fuck you don't. You never let me greet you properly."  
"Don't touch her again, un." To my surprise, my brother was the one to get between us. "She owes you nothing, you heard her."  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The plan went off without a hitch, but Sasori took it over. Deidara pouted the whole time, wanting to show off but sat back, nothing wanting to get hit in the crossfire. It was terrifying how quickly his puppets took over the village. No one was spared, men, women and children, killed all for the purpose of drawing attention to ourselves. I couldn't bring myself to look at the bodies strewn about, but Sasori gladly took some and sealed them away. I sat on a piece of rubble, debating if this was the right choice after all. I couldn't run now, but I had another option. I saw a little yellow, stuffed bunny, stained with blood from a child that Sasori had sealed away. How can someone be so cruel?  
I picked up my kunai, knowing if I aimed right I could make my ending it all painless.  
"Oi! Let's move, un." Deidara broke me out of this state. We were going to secure this place for the Akasuki, but we were about to have way too many Konaha ninja swarm us and had to leave. At least we proved our point…  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
It took a little longer to get back to our cave base, but once there I took off towards the river. I stood there looking at my reflection. After everything I saw...after what I helped happen...I took my kunai out again and made my choice. No more of this...  
Sitting by the edge of the bank, I held my kunai to my wrist first. I cut a deep line in my left on when someone caught my hand, making me drop the kunai. I looked to see those red eyes reflecting back at me from the water.  
"Itachi?" Him again…what was he doing here?  
"Is life really that bad?" He asked me, staring at the cut I'd given myself. "Do you really want it to end that badly?"  
"I can't kill like you guys can! Life has meaning, and you all treat it like it means nothing! You treat people like nothing but pawns." I felt the tears stinging my eyes. This earned a scoff from him. "What? You think I'm some silly child don't you? That I should grow up and get over it. I can't…" It was morally wrong.  
"Actually...I'm with you." The admission hadn't been easy for him, he had been hiding that truth for a while. "There's no value in senseless killings."  
"Then why are you here?" He was quiet for a moment.  
"The path I took lead me here…" he knelt by me, taking a hold of my arm and lifting it up. "You'll bleed out if you don't keep this elevated." His voice never carried much emotion, but I noticed it had softened while he helped me with my wound. He took out his medical pack and started patching me up.  
"Why do you care…?" I had to know why he was even bothering with the likes of me. Again, he didn't answer me and stitched my wrist. I had cut pretty deep. So I grabbed his hand, stopping him from tying off the last stitch. "Answer me." I could feel the angry tears stinging my eyes.  
"Is it wrong for me to care for a teammate?" So that was it then?  
"No…" but no one had bothered before. He didn't speak anymore to me after that, finishing by tying a bandage around it. He was a mystery I was going to solve…  
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As I had hoped, I was assigned to Itachi's team next. He and Kisame met up with us to make the trade off. Their mission was tracking where the five tails went. I was assigned to them to help because I had proved to be a decent tracker. On the mission with Deidara and Sasori, I was used to track down anyone who ran. Sasori finished all of them off, but I had found almost all of them. The guilt of that still weighed on me, most of the ones who fled were the children.  
Kisame was the talker of the group, coming up with different things to talk about along the way. Itachi mostly listened to us, but never really contributed to the conversation. Every so often he would make a sound of acknowledgement when spoken to.  
"Cat got your tongue today, Itachi?" Kisame grinned. We'd hit a lowel in the conversation and had been walking in silence for an hour. I wasn't bothered by it, but he had been.  
"I have nothing to talk about." The raven in front of us sounded annoyed.  
"Really? You have nothing to say to our new partner?" I don't know why he was egging him on. "I saw you two by the river last night." That made my blood run cold. "I saw what you did and I know why your arm is wrapped more than usual. Do you really want to die that badly?"  
I looked to the ground, not seeing Itachi had stopped and ran into him. He glared at me for losing focus, but took some pity and didn't yell at me.  
"I'm fine…" I wanted this conversation to stop. I couldn't tell him I didn't like the thought of killing, seeing as he lived for it. If this was my life now, I'd rather die.  
"You say that, and yet ran into Itachi." The shark man sneered.  
"Drop it, Kisame. She said she's fine."  
"Oh, so you're on her side now?" Itachi glared back at him before he started walking again, I chose to follow.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
We stopped at a waterfall for the night. The sound would drown out any noise we made and had a defendable alcove nearby. Kisame took first watch, needing to blow off some steam. He wandered off to take it out on some trees.  
"Are you alright?" Itachi was watching me from above the flames of our campfire.  
"Yeah…" I was just watching the flames. "Why did you stop me?" I looked up to meet his gaze.  
"As you said, all life has value. Even yours." I felt my cheeks get red again.  
"You don't know that…"  
"Do you not believe in your own words?" He was accusing me of being a hypocrite. He wasn't wrong…  
"I...don't know…" I curled into myself again. "It doesn't feel worth it sometimes." He gave me a look of understanding. "You never answered you know, about why you're here, un." He raised an eyebrow.  
"I did."  
"No other reason you're staying other than 'you're path led you here?'" He couldn't hide the flash of worry in his eyes, I was onto something there. "Like...I don't know your brother?" This got a reaction from him. He glared daggers at me, angry I had discovered something about him  
"So it is about him?" I blinked and he was suddenly right in front of me. He backed me up against the rock wall, but I couldn't read if he was really angry or testing me. His face was completely blank again.  
"You talk too much."  
"But I'm right, aren't I?" My voice was quiet for some reason. The quick glance away told me it was, but he couldn't say why.  
"Even if I were to tell you, you couldn't possibly understand." He was about to back off when I reached out for his sleeve.  
"Try me…" I smirked, making him give me another glare. This one didn't hold a threat though.  
"Another time, maybe." He said, gently taking my hand off of his arm. "For now, sleep." I felt dizzy, realizing he had used a genjutsu on me. I was going to call him a bastard, but he knocked me out. As I lost consciousness, I saw him smiled softly and whisper something to me. I wish I had heard what it was.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Itachi's View:

"So annoying…" I whispered, knowing she wouldn't hear it.  
This woman was turning out to be more of a nuisance than I first thought. She was able to read me far to well. Then again, she might have understood a little of what I was going through. She was forced into a situation that she hated too, but unlike me, she could have left. She didn't have a village's weight still on her shoulders. She didn't have a little brother to worry over.  
I watched her sleep for a while, wondering why I was feeling this way. I knew I couldn't let her close, there were too many reasons to count, but she had been the first one to try to get to know me. The others judged me based on what I had done, but never the reasoning. Nina wanted to know the why, but I could never tell her.


	3. Chapter 3

Nina’s View:

I spent the next year bouncing between the two teams. The missions with Itachi and Kisame were usually more covert, trying to unbury secrets to use against each village. Our last mission involved an underground group trying to uprise the Akatsuki. They had been all talk and were easy to take out. I led them into a narrow alleyway, Kisame blocking the path from the other side, and took them out using C1 explosive snakes.   
I was becoming numb to having to kill anymore. Sasori expected it from me and Deidara made sure victims were guided right into my bombs. After a while, it just became easier to just let it happen; it allowed me to make sure it was relatively painless. It scared me to know that it was possible for me to become this way. Even pleas for mercy had been lost on me. Kisame was impressed, but Itachi wasn’t. Itachi and I had become sort of friends over the time we spent together. It was nowhere near a normal friendship, but we got along and fought well together.  
“Have you forgotten yourself?” He asked me when we stopped to rest. He sent Kisame off to find firewood while he and I went to get water from the nearby lake.  
“What do you mean?” It was clear what he was talking about, I just wanted him to talk. His voice might be the only thing keeping me together right now.  
“Don’t lose yourself in this world. It’s easy to let go of your own morals here.”   
“How, un? I can’t do what you can.” I couldn’t just knock them out with a look. I could however make two bombs go off near one another, creating a seismic wave strong enough to knock someone out...but it took exact timing and precision or else you ended up blowing off their heads.   
“I’ve seen you fight. You’re good at evading people, tricking them into thinking they caught you. So why bother killing them?”   
“I...don’t know.” It wasn’t fair of me to take it out on those innocent people. Angry tears burned at the corners of my eyes. I was mad at myself what I did. “I told you, I can’t do this…”   
“You’re too big hearted for this job.” Again he was right. “Why haven’t you tried to run?”  
“I told you, where would I go?” I turned to him finally, tired of talking to his reflection. He only looked at me from the corner of his eye, through his long hair.   
“You could seek asylum elsewhere for the wrong doing of your village. Or, you could give up being a ninja and life under a new name.” They had been options I had once considered, but I wouldn’t let the Tsuchikage win. He kind of had already, I had joined the Akatsuki, but then again he was the one to send in his forces…  
“No...I won’t let him win.” I wouldn’t give up everything just yet. “You’re right...there’s no need for me to kill anyone. I won’t become the monster the Tsuchikage says I am…” Itachi made a sound of approval, looking back to the lake. “‘Tachi...why do you care?” It had been bothering me for a while, he was always polite and was nice to almost everyone.   
“I don’t want you to fall into the darkness too…” He stood up, having finished filling his water bottle. “Because…” He didn’t want to continue, so I tried to fill in the gaps.  
“You’re my friend too...actually...you’re the only person who I can even come close to calling a friend.” I felt my face turning red again. “The last person I trusted…” I looked to the ground, even though he wasn’t looking at me.  
“You have to forgive yourself for what you’ve done, otherwise you will never get stronger.” He stopped me from talking. I said too much…  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I left a day later to join my brother on a different mission. I wasn’t looking forward to it and knew Deidara would pull some flashy stunt that was bound to draw too much attention. Itachi warned me to tread carefully or else I would fall again. I took his words to heart, not wanting to let him, or myself, down again. 

“You’re late.” The puppet master hissed as I met them on the edge of the Suna border. I see they haven’t changed since I left…  
“It takes a while when you have to go by foot.” I knew it was pointless arguing, he was very hard to please. He didn’t care it was a three day trip for me, only one for them and flying over open areas was always a bad idea.   
“Let’s go…” he turned to leave, expecting us to follow.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
I knew they had been debriefed, learning long ago that Leader-sama had put a jutsu on the rings each member wore. It was a way for them to communicate long distance, but one ring was missing, meaning I could not overhear them. Itachi had been the one to relay everything to me for the last few months, making sure I knew what we were against. Deidara and Sasori on the other hand...they didn’t seem to care.  
“So...who are we going after?” The only thing I knew was what the raven hair man had told me before I left, we were going after a Jinchūriki. I had no idea which one and had forgotten to ask if he had known.  
“The Kazekage, un.” Deidara finally said after a few minutes. I get that it was damn hot out here, but I knew his brain wasn’t fired from it just yet. He was just ignoring me. “The ones Orochimaru manipulated are up ahead, un?” He asked Sasori. I learned who he was from Itachi as well. He apparently betrayed the Akatsuki and according to what Deidara said, he also leaked information. There must be an informant that we were about to meet.   
“We don’t have a choice…” Sasori answered. “I don’t know what he is like after that jutsu either.” They then started talking about the bag Deidara was carrying. I guessed from their conversation, it was going to be used to catch the One Tails. I surmised that the Kazekage was the Jinchūriki we were after, seeing as they never told me anything else about the mission. And Deidara wondered why I asked to be on Itachi’s team.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The cliff before us was the entrance to Sunagakure. It was small, narrow, very well defended and both of them were just walking straight towards it. I prepared for the worst, but neither one of them even lifted a kunai for defence. The closer we got, I could finally see why. A man stood before us, surrounded by bodies and covered in his comrades blood. He looked slightly stunned, like he was under a jutsu. Now I see…The jutsu they were talking about was put on this man, some sort of mind jutsu that the Orochimaru guy manipulated to get information out of him.  
“Well done...you remembered me?” Sasori’s deep voice had a happy note to it. The man told him he’d never forget him, calling him Sasori-sama.  
“Good, otherwise I’d have to use my jutsu, un.” Deidara was disappointed. I was still looking over the bodies, their faces twisted in surprise and anguish over their friends betrayal.   
“Maybe your husband should watch, un…” Deidara teased the puppet. I had long known they were together and not just friends. I also found out around the same time that Sasori didn’t look like that and it was just a puppet. I had however been surprised by the fact they had been willing to have sex out in the open like that...though I guessed they thought it was deep enough in the forest. I had seconds to get out of the area or risk getting poisoned.   
My brother was also fiercely jealous of Sasori giving anyone but him attention, so of course he was going to take a shot at the man Sasori had used.  
“We’ll attack from above!” He had made a clay bird, enlarging it and hoping onto its back. “How is it?” He was asking if Sasori was impressed, but of course Sasori didn’t seem to care for his art style. Honestly, neither did I, but I respected his concept of art not lasting forever.   
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Sasori and I stayed on the ground for a while and watched Deidara survey the area. So far, no one had seen him above the village.   
“You know why you were called here?” Sasori finally saying something to me.   
“No.” I looked down at the hunched puppet. I really wanted to know why he stayed in that ugly thing, but the answer I received was a threat of being poisoned.   
“You’re our decoy.” He let me piece together things.  
“You want me to act like Deidara after he’s captured the One Tails?” It hadn’t been the first time we had done a switch, but last time I nearly took the fall for it all. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Pein had said not to let me die on missions, I think they might have left me. Deidara had finally come around and got me out of there before the bombs detonated...  
“We want you to go a different way and double back to meet us. You’ll come to the sealing location.” He handed me a folded map with the location. “Memorize it…burn it.” He finished as Deidara set off the first set of bombs. I ran off after that to take my place on the edge of the village wall.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Mimicking Deidara’s birds wasn’t easy, I found them plain and kept having to remake it and add less detail. The third one was the best of them, but I knew if someone looked hard enough they could see the tail was different. Mine had three feathers instead of four, but there wasn’t time to make it again. The Kazekage had been brought down after a spectacular fight, managing to take one of Deidara’s arms.   
Honestly, it was amazing Deidara didn’t run out of clay. He had been wasteful and make them far bigger than needed. I thought I was going to have to go in and help him against the sand user, all because he was stubborn and never carried enough. He revealed what was in the bag, number eighteen as he had called it earlier, using it to force the Kazekage to use his defence to cover the village below. Then, having had his hands eat some of the sand before it was crushed, Deidara blew up the rest of the sand around him. Smart move...but not worth losing an arm for. I hopped on his bird from the wall of the village as he flew by.   
“You’re lucky…” I said helping him wrap what was left of his arm. The sand had crush it to nothing, even cutting off the wound so it wasn’t bleeding much.  
“All a part of my plan, un.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“You’re late…” Sasori growled. I didn’t realize we were being timed.  
“Tch...this guy was strong.” Deidara waved him off as we hopped off the bird. I looked back at the kid we captured to make sure my clay clone looked like him. I knew what was coming for him and had to quickly look away. The guilt was taking over again. I enlarged the bird and decoy, ready to leave at a moments notice.  
“That’s why I said to be better prepared!” Sasori chided my brother as I got all set and fixed my hair.   
“Wait!!” Someone called as we started to leave. “Give Gaara back to me!”   
“Deidara, Nina...go go on ahead. Remember what I said…” As he spoke, the boy pulled out three scrolls, launching one of the puppets summoned from them at us. “It won’t take long…” Deidara hopped on his bird and we took off.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
I went further north while Deidara went east. Now I see why the map was necessary, everything in the desert looked the same from above. I turned back and headed southeast back towards River Country after two hours. So far, no one had followed us. It seemed the other puppet user was the only one that came after Gaara...I had heard rumors of what he was, but like me he looked normal. The only thing that really made him a monster was what other people thought of him. They aren’t monsters either...  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
I landed near Deidara, making my bird and decoy small again. I was going to go in, but Sasori stopped me with that stupid tail of his. He really was going to hit me one of these times.  
“You’re to find an area out here and guard this place…” He said as they entered. I wanted to ask where and how I was supposed to know where it was over, but the boulder slid back into place.   
“Right...cause that’s all I’m good for…” I said, jumping up rocks until I was on top of where the cave was. I could feel the large amount of chakra from underground here. I wasn’t a sensory type ninja, so I shouldn’t be able to feel it. Is the jutsu that powerful? I sat there, choosing it as a good lookout point and waiting for them to finish up. I wondered, though, why didn’t they want me to help do this? They would need a lot of chakra to accomplish this, so why exclude me?   
I felt the earth move next to me and saw giant plant emerge. The leaves split open and revealed it was a man with a face half white and half black.   
“Hello there Nina, we have yet to meet. I’m Zetsu. Get on and tell her the enemy is coming!” Talk about a split personality...  
“The enemy? Who, un?” I was trying to get my heart rate back to normal from seeing a plant with a man inside.   
“Konoha ninja. One coming from the east and the other from the west. But clones of Kisame and Itachi have been sent to buy some time.”   
“Are they nearby?” If they were, they would need protection from losing a good part of their chakra. Maybe that’s why I’m here?   
“No, they’re in the Grass village...Orochimaru has been sighted there.” After that, he closed the weird plant parts, and sank back into the ground. “Good luck…”  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
I was understanding why Sasori hated waiting so much. After Zetsu had warned me, I took cover in the trees looking over the cave entrance. From here I could see the valley where the teams would have to come through. I knew it would take all night to finish this sealing jutsu, maybe more, but I was alone. Staying awake was harder to do when no one else was there, even the clone I had made had fallen asleep on me twice.  
Not long after sunrise, a group of shinobi finally showed up. This one was the one Kisame dealt with. They moved much faster than the other team. Two of them were wearing odd green jumpsuits, one of two seeming to be the leader of the team. Suddenly, their leader leapt forward and hit the boulder with all his might. I cringed, knowing it had to have hurt, even if he didn’t react. I still wasn’t to attack until they broke through the seal. Not long after, another team showed up.   
“Well shit...they have enough to break it now…” I muttered to myself. I was far enough away that no one would hear me. I could hear them clearly though, the valley making their voices echo perfectly around me. The silver haired one, Kakashi, knew how to break the five seal barrier. It was when the kid Neji was asked to use Byakugan I knew I was screwed. I tried my best and was able to get a clay bird in the air when I heard him say: “There’s someone else…” I was out of hearing range by then.   
I wasn’t scared of them, but I was being cautious. I watched from above as the first team left to get the seals and the second team got ready to break into the cave. I got my clay doves ready for attack. I knew the four that went off weren’t going to be a problem, knowing there was a counter attack on the seal if a non-Akatsuki member tried to dispel it. They would be literally fighting themselves.   
I watched with surprise at the girl with the pink hair, Sakura, punched through the bounder. I did not want her to get near me, that kind of strength was scary. They ran inside and I landed on the rubble outside of the cave, blocking any escape. If Kakashi noticed me, he didn’t let on. I could see my brother sitting on Gaara, disrespecting the kids corpse. He couldn’t get any lower than that. I really wanted to know how he had become so twisted…  
“Which one of you is the Jinchūriki, I wonder, un?” I heard him sneer. The blonde kid, Naruto, went stiff with anger.  
“You bastards! I’ll kill you!!” He yelled.  
“That one…” Sasori and Deidara seemed to be in on something I wasn’t. That’s when the blonde kid started yelling to his friend.  
“Gaara!! Stand the hell up!! Stop being lazy!” It was sort of nice knowing that I still had a heart, his words were breaking it to pieces.  
“Stop, Naruto…” Kakashi reasoned. “You should understand.”   
“Yeah, don’t you get it? He’d dead, un.” The way Deidara said it...the grin on his face...I’d never be like that.  
“Deidara…” I growled, getting Kakashi’s attention.  
“Give Gaara back!! You Bastards!!” Naruto ran at them, his aura completely changing. Thankfully Kakashi chose to stop him and not come after me. Sasori was poised to kill him if he took one more step.   
“I’ll look after this one…” Sasori was talking about Naruto.  
“Sasori-sama...this might make you angry but, let me handle him.” They were arguing over who was going to kill him, over some stupid quota.  
“W-what kind of people are they?” I heard Sakura ask. I was with her...but I had to keep quiet about it.  
“What are you standing there for, un? Why haven’t you done anything?” Deidara was looking right at me.  
“You want to take care of it all so badly, I thought you had it.” I glared.  
“Stop playing around!” Naruto shouted, attacking Sasori with a shuriken. He just deflected it with his tail...   
“Deidara...are you trying to piss me off?” and they went back to arguing like nothing happened. Seriously?   
Deidara finally moved, taking Gaara with him to taunt Naruto into following him. “See ya Danna!” he said as he flew over me, forcing me to set off a spider bomb to give myself time to take off. Naruto was quick to follow, but from below he couldn’t tell us apart. Kakashi was behind him which left Sasori with Sakura and the old lady, Chiyo. I hoped at least one of them survived.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Kakashi and Naruto stood on the gateway entrance in front of the cave, the silver haired sensei calling the other team for back up over a headset. Deidara and I watched them from a little ways above their heads.   
“What are you doing?” I asked him, keeping my voice down and getting close to him.  
“Showing Sasori how good my art really is, un.” He grinned.  
“That’s it?! You’re crazy…” That’s when Kakashi reveals he had a sharingan under his headband. “Deidara...please we need to…” but it was too late. He had a stupid obsession about proving he was better than the sharingan.  
“Are you sure you wanna fight me, sharingan Kakashi, un?” Deidara challenged.  
“You should listen to her…” Kakashi had overheard me.  
“Go help Sakura, sensei, I’ll save Gaara.” Naruto was naive to think Deidara or I were easy to take on. Despite my feelings over all of this, I was still required to help the cause.   
Suddenly Naruto launched himself with such a force, we had to seperate. His eyes were red, like a demon. Maybe I’m the one who underestimated you…  
Deidara launched a clay bird at him, only for it to be deflected by Kakashi before it could explode. I made my own sparrows and sent them out to attack in sweeping loops. Deidara and I were able to confuse them for a while, but eventually they figured out the difference between our birds.   
“You're different than other Jinchūriki. So is Gaara...no others were known to care much for others. So far, none of the others had anyone come after them...besides him, two other Jinchūriki have been taken down by my peers.” True, I knew of the three tails, but hadn’t known about the other. “Their friends from the village, it seems not a single one came to save them. Instead, it seemed they were on our side.” He laughed.  
He had gone way over the line now, stating Naruto was going to die the same way very soon. This got him to chase us again, forcing the two to split up. Kakashi didn’t stray too far from Naruto though, catching on to the plan. There was one problem though, Deidara seemed to be out of clay now. I had mine, but I couldn’t get close again to help him. I tried and scattered clay ants about, letting them free fall behind me and explode at random intervals. This did keep them back, but they wouldn’t stop until they caught us.  
“Nina, aim at the Jinchūriki, damnit, un!” Deidara glared, flying up from under me. “The plan now it to catch him too.” I bit my cheek, knowing in my heart I couldn’t do it. I purposely sabotaged my own double winged bird bombs, one going off too late and the other had one wing made short so it wouldn’t fly right. Deidara didn’t notice. During this time, Kakashi was trying to do something with his sharingan eye.   
“I said wait!” Kakashi finally caught up to Naruto. They went into the lower branches to talk strategy.  
“Deidara, we need to get out of here. We don’t know what his sharingan can do.”  
“I’m not scared of that, un!”   
“You have one arm and no clay! I’m running low too. We should just give the body to them…” He wasn’t listening.  
“When they finally try to get close, use two clay clones. I have an idea.” He said after a moment. I sighed, handing him enough clay for two clones.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
It took some time before they were going to attack, giving me time to make exact copies of myself. I looked down and saw Kakashi open his eye, making chills go through my body. Suddenly, the air around Deidara started swirling into a funnel around him. It was like he was trying to pull my brother into another dimension.   
“Dei!” I watched as he was able to move a little, but losing his other arm. Shit! My brother growled in pain, but there was no way for me to get to him without getting into shooting range.. Kakashi was trying again, but there was something wrong. It wasn’t as strong as the first time and didn’t take off Deidara’s head.  
Naruto suddenly appeared, taking my bird out with two shadow clones and going after Deidara. I watched as the same rasengan took out my brothers bird. Now we were screwed...With him distracted with the head of Deidara’s bird, I leapt to where my brother had landed, switching ourselves with the clay clones. Before that, the idiot decided to call out to them, blowing our cover. I knew he was well aware Kakashi was a bigger problem right now.  
I dodged, narrowly being missed by Naruto’s fist. I watched as his clone got the hell beaten out of it while Dei and I quickly took cover in the bushes. My clone tried to stop Naruto from blasting Deidara’s clone, but ended up hit too.  
Is that...the power of the nine tails? Naruto had an orange aura around him now, two tails sprouting from it. Kakashi was quick to put a seal on the kid’s forehead. So Naruto couldn’t control the nine tails just yet, that was good for us.  
Soon, Sakura and Chiyo showed up and I watched Deidara’s face change from anger, to sadness and then to confusion on how it was all possible. Sasori had been taken out by them. I knew whatever part of his heart was left had just shattered. As we got up, I felt the air shift and turned. Looks like the other team also won their battle.  
“Go work Neji!” Their leader was still chipper. Right...I forgot about the Byakugan user…  
I gave Deidara a kunai to put in his mouth and we fought them off using weapons. I made two more clay clones, signaling Deidara what the plan was. He ran towards the downed bird, and we quickly switched to the clones again. The clone of him ate part of the clay of the bird, setting off an even bigger explosion when it was combined with my clone. We didn’t get to see it be sucked into the strange dimension Kakashi’s eye held; we headed underground this time, trying to avoid Neji’s eyes.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
A while later, Deidara and I emerged from the dirt. He refused my help out, I wondered how he managed not to knock himself out by using his head.  
“Tsh...I only lost from my elbow down...I gotta go hunting from my right arm and ring.”   
“Deidara...are you…”  
“Quite dottling, let’s go!” He snapped. Something changed in him, he wasn’t care free anymore. He was hurting, but he would never admit it.   
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
We found where it had landed, two people already there and talking about what could have happened.  
“Get your hand off that, idiot!” Deidara yelled at the masked man as we approached.  
“Oh, You’re alive!”  
“What happened to the nine tails?!” Zetsu growled.  
“Hey, my part is over, un.” Deidara sighed. He bagged his, so as far as he was concerned, it wasn’t his problem. Zetsu then glared at me.  
“What? I’m not technically a member, remember, un?” I held up my hands.  
“Looks like you came out ok! You barely made it out Deidara-san! You’re ok, right?” The masked man was trying to joke, but it wasn’t going to end well.   
“Tobi...I only let things go three times. Speak one more time I’ll set you off, un.”  
“Please don’t…” I didn’t want Deidara causing more damage to himself.  
“Hmm...most likely death by explosion.” Tobi said about Deidara.  
“That’s three…” Zetsu smirked.  
Really, the guy had it coming. Deidara jumped and wrapped his legs around Tobi’s neck.   
“Death by asphyxiation, un!” It was quite the site to see an armless man trying to strangle someone. I laughed, not able to contain it anymore. “Stop laughing and help me strangle him, un!” The armless blonde was having trouble keeping Tobi pinned. I did not help either of them, both of them deserving what they got.


	4. Chapter 4

After the fight with the One Tails, we headed back to the main base. It was closest right now and apparently Kakuzu would be there, why him I’m not sure. Something about him being able to reattach arms and use pieces from bodies he collected. It grossed me out, but at least Deidara would have his arms back, or what’s left of them anyway.  
This meant Hidan was there though, and he was the worst of us in my opinion. He glorified killing, bathed in blood and even told me multiple times he wanted me as a vessel to carry a child for Jashin. That earned him a clay scorpion down his throat.   
I didn’t apologize for blowing his head up, the sleaze deserved it. The only saving grace was Itachi and Kisame showed up to resupply. Thankfully, Hidan backed off and they left to catch the Two Tails a day later.  
I was supposed to go with Deidara and Tobi to get the Three Tails when Dei was ready, but something in Deidara snapped. Losing Sasori hurt him more than he would admit. Itachi and I were in the living area on our floor reading, nowhere near each other, when Deidara came up after getting his arms reattached. He had no use of them yet, but he still tried despite the warning that they could fall off again.  
“What the hell are you doing, un?” He was talking to me, but glaring at the back of the raven’s head. The chair he was in faced away from the stairs, but I could see clearly see Itachi’s face. He was annoyed at the silence being interrupted.   
“Reading?” I held up the book. There wasn’t much to do during our down time and all the base had was books. I had found a romance one, but so far the story was predictable…  
“How can you stand to be in the same room as him, un?” I watched Deidara turn and leave to go to his room.   
“The only one bothering me right now is you…” I shouldn’t have started it, but he didn’t know anything about Itachi. He never tried like I had. Sure, I only scratched the surface of who he was, but I figured out he liked dango and the color red. He finally told me the other day when I asked again. I didn’t expect an answer, he never did, but he relented.  
“Don’t bother coming with us…” He growled. “Stay with your “husband” for all I care.” He slammed his door behind him. I felt my face turn red, both from anger and embarrassment.  
“Why do you instigate him?” Itachi was watching me now, his book forgotten on the side table. I pouted, not knowing why myself.  
“I guess…’cause we’re siblings?” He gave a short laugh at that. “You have a brother, didn’t you ever fight with him?” That got him to stop smiling, I didn’t mean to do that.  
“Not really.” He got up to go to his room. “If you’re on my team again, we leave in the morning. Maybe you two should make up before then.” It wasn’t a question, but sort of a command.   
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
I was so willing to listen to Itachi, even I questioned if I was under a jutsu. I tried dispeling it, but nothing happened. I sighed, hesitating to knock on Deidara’s door. When I did, the door opened a little. Odd...Deidara always locks his door.  
“Dei?” I walked in, worrying he’d done something stupid. He was just laying on his bed, face down and looked miserable. “You awake?”   
“Get out…” It didn’t have it’s normal threatening tone to it. I closed the door behind me and went to sit by his feet. “Why do you insist on trying to get me to like you, un?” He had his head turned towards the wall, refusing to look at me.  
“Tsk...what makes you think I care anymore? I gave that up a long time ago.” If it hurt, good. He’d been nothing but rude to me since they captured me.  
“Whatever...why are you here?” He really didn’t care, he just wanted me to go away. I wasn’t going to leave until he talked to me.   
“I…” What? I’m sorry? I had no idea what to say to someone who lost someone they cared for.  
“He’s gone. That’s it. I’m over it, un.” He didn’t sound over Sasori’s death to me. “Once I can use my arms, Tobi and I are leaving.”  
“You really don’t want me to come, do you?” His silence was a good enough answer. “Fine. Just tell me, what do you have against Itachi?”  
“He doesn’t acknowledge my art. Those eyes of his…” He was angry again, but his arms were useless so he couldn’t hit the wall. “I hate them…”   
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------  
I left Deidara to brood on his own. He wouldn’t admit he missed Sasori, or talk to me, so I left him with a wish of good luck. I turned the corner to see Kisame and Itachi ready to leave. Kisame was reading the mission statement out loud, which seemed odd.  
“I thought we weren’t leaving till tomorrow?” I asked them, to which Kisame shrugged.  
“We’ve been moved up. It seems that we’ve lost rack of the Four Tails. Seems he ran away from the village.” The shark man grinned. “Let’s get going shall we?” I told him I needed my bag and left to grab it. 

I wasn’t aware of Itachi following me until he locked us into my room. I felt my skin prickle at his sudden presents.  
“What do you want?” I was on edge, never taking my eyes off of him.  
“I only want to talk…” To my surprise, he put his hands up in a non threatening way. “Staying on my team will expose you to more dangers than needed. Are you sure you can’t convince Deidara to change his mind?” He was acting a little off, I wondered what happened during their mission.  
“He’s not going to...he’s...changed.” Itachi sat on the edge of my bed as I told him there was no way he was giving in. “I think he misses Sasori…”  
“I see…” I turned back, only to be caught by his crimson gaze. He hadn’t used his genjutsu on me before, but I knew something was off when I saw a shimmer from the corner of my eye. “Don’t release it, I want to talk to you without a chance of it being over heard.” I heard him warn, but his mouth did not move.  
“Is something wrong?” I asked, getting used to the dizzy sensation.  
“What is your fascination with me?” Ah...he had noticed me staring over the book earlier…it wasn’t what he thought, I just noticed he was holding the book really close.  
“Er...well…”  
“You can’t hide you thoughts here…” Well now I was fucked.  
“You want me to say I like you? Like a schoolgirl? You’re an interesting person...somewhere along the way, while trying to figure you out, I…” No point in hiding it if he’d hear my thoughts in this jutsu anyway. “Guess I fell for you.” I felt the jutsu shift, like I had disturbed Itachi by this admission. The colors changes to more muted tones, the door was sucked into darkness and suddenly he was behind me. I knew it wasn’t real, but the fear I felt was.  
“You find me interesting? You know nothing about me…” The shadowy figure of the raven loomed over me. “You shouldn’t tread so closely to me. You should distance yourself, I will bring you nothing but pain.” It wasn’t a rejection...it was an admission he felt something too.  
“My whole life has been nothing but that...why push me away?” I was curious to see his real reasonings. If I couldn’t hide my feelings here, then I guess I’d bear them all. The looming figure turned back to him, though this time he was in front of me, closer than I had expected. “I can’t promise you anything either. But I can promise to be by your side, either as a friend or...if you let me.” He looked broken for a split second, finally cracking just a bit.  
“You...why?” I felt the jutsu start to fade, only for it to be revealed that he was actually standing this close to me. I felt my cheeks turn red, seeing him look away as he released the jutsu completely.   
“There’s more to you than you let on…” I wasn’t under the pressure of him knowing my thoughts, but I figured it would still be pointless to lie. “No one just...kills their family without a reason. From what I’ve seen from you, you don’t actually like killing , do you?” His eyes slowly looked back to me. “It’s a last resort...as it should be. Someone like you doesn't do something like that without some kind of catalyst.”  
“You’ve perspective, I’ll give you that.” I was right. “I still cannot tell you…I noticed you had a similar regard to life.” It was a compliment, just in his own way.   
“Why are you so close?” I wasn’t complaining, but he never got close to anyone. That’s when I saw his eyes seemed a little dull. Without thinking, I put my hand on his cheek to tilt his head towards the light. “You can’t see…” He grabbed my wrist then, it was going to bruise later.  
“I can…just…” He softened his grip, silently apologizing for hurting me.  
“How long?” I shy-ed away from him, noticing the guilt in his eyes.  
“A while...the sharingan...after being used to much it will seal itself away, closing off my light.” That explained why he had Kisame reading the latest mission statement in the living area, and the book.  
“Can you…”  
“See you? Yes, but only up close.” His voice was low to keep from being heard. I know my face had to be tomato red, but I stepped a little closer again. I saw his lips curve up a little, pleased at my boldness.   
“Is...this better?” He looked down hiding his face a little with his hair. Was he...blushing?! He was the one to then cup my face with his right hand, the other slowly reaching towards my waist. He didn’t want to spook me again and wanted to make sure he had permission. I put my hands on his shoulders, allowing him to pull me closer.   
“No…” Before I could retort, he pressed his lips to mine in a quick, gentle kiss. “This is.” He used my shock to kiss me again, but he pulled back just a little, making me lean forward to continue. It was his way to make sure this was fine, but he didn’t have to worry about going too far with me. I liked him...  
Is this what people meant by seeing fireworks when they kissed? Cause I think I understood it now. A loud bang on the door made me jump,breaking our kiss.  
“Are you two ready yet?” Kisame yelled. “If you two need some time…”  
“We’re coming, Kisame…” Itachi was back to his normal bored self. “Let’s go, before he breaks the door down.”  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
At first, the silence between the three of us was awkward. Kisame knew about us, well not about us kissing, but he suspected something between Itachi and I. I could feel that he wanted to say something, but didn’t want to make the Uchiha mad. It wasn’t until we took a small break off the road that he finally asked.

“So...you two fucked yet?” He had to choose the moment I took a drink, making me choke. “Well...that’s quite the reaction.” He smirked, Itachi shook his head before turning around.  
“Kisame...don’t be so brash.” The fact Itachi didn’t outright say no bugged me, but I was getting a sense he had a dry sense of humor… “If you must know, no. As for what we choose to do, is between us.” I felt my face burning again, which Kisame took notice of. The wicked grin he got made me fear for my life, I had to force myself not to show I was scared.  
“Is that why you’ve been keeping Hidan off of her? Keeping her for yourself?” The tone and hungry gaze on me was freezing me in place. I wasn't sure I could move, even if I really needed to.  
Itachi didn’t say a word, but his eyes turned red. I watched the grin on Kisame’s face fall, knowing the raven was staring him down from behind him.  
“Being a decent person to someone doesn’t mean you’re in love with them. Take this as a warning, I won’t hold back again.” Itachi was threatening to kill the older ninja if he dared to touch me. However, what he said was a little confusing. He had shown me he liked me, but his words said otherwise.  
“My...you really do care.” Kisame turned away from me, sweat across his hairline. “Who knew you had a heart…”  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
I noticed Itachi and Kisame liked to camp close to areas with water. Kisame said it was easier for him to use his jutsu this way, but even then, he didn’t seek it out like Itachi did. I was going to find out why, but it involved not falling asleep while pretending to be asleep for at least an hour. Itachi was up with Kisame, but I knew he would leave soon to sneak off to the river. As soon as he got up, I switched myself with a clay clone to follow him.

I watched him pull a scroll out of his pack and summoned a packet of green powder and a black water bottle. He filled the bottle with water and emptied the packet into the bottle, shaking it up before drinking it. I watched as he cringed and started coughing violently, until blood came up. I couldn’t stop myself, running full speed out of the bushes to his side, but was stopped when I was pulled into a strange black and red world. I was grabbed by the throat in this world, held up in the air and choked while he talked.  
“You shouldn’t go around sneaking up on me like that...Nina?” He thought I had been Kisame, he quickly dispelled the jutsu. “The same goes for you…” I fell against his chest, he had moved to catch me as he released me from his dojutsu. “Can you stand?” He asked, helping me steady myself.  
“Y-yeah...I’m ok.” I looked up to see he had blood dripping from his right eye. “Y-your eye!” I reached up and wiped the blood away with my thumb, seeing if he was injured. He let his head drop, shoulders shaking a bit. “Itachi?” I thought he was really hurt, but then I heard a sound I never heard before. Itachi was laughing! He looked up, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.  
“You shouldn’t be standing, yet you’re worried about my eye?” He gave me a real smile, one I had never seen him give before. “You really are different…” He flicked my headband, making it fall over my eyes.  
“Hey...you’re the one bleeding!”   
“It happens when I use my Mangekyo Sharingan…” I reached to push my headband back up, but he stopped me. “Don’t…” He whispered in my ear. I didn’t realize he had gotten so close....  
“‘Tachi?” He answered by kissing me again, soft at first, but both of us became more bold. He explored first, seeing how far he was allowed to go by pulling the hem of my shirt. Our jackets had been left at the camp, but I wished I had brought mine as a sort of blanket. I let him pull my shirt off, taking my hitai-ate with it, but I quickly demanded he do the same by almost ripping his off. He gave me a half smirk, approving of my advances. He let me look him over, knowing I was wondering how he had gotten away with very few scars over his life. He did the same to me, reaching out and rubbing a thumb over the sealed mouth on the left side of my chest. It was useless, nothing but a scar, a reminder of what Iwa did. It was still half hidden by my bra strap, he never went under it.  
“Did it hurt?” He asked, almost like he was upset he couldn’t have stopped it.  
“Don’t remember…I was just a newborn.” I pulled his hand away, not wanting him to pity me right now.  
He surprised me with how gentle he was, slowly lowering the strap down to reveal the entire sealed mouth. I was going to question what he was doing when he kissed it. Each kiss felt like he was trying to heal it, soon they were more open mouthed and I knew he’d leave his own mark over it.   
I don’t remember him lowering us down, but we were in the tall grass by the river bank with me straddling his lap. He must have done it while distracting me when he moved up to kiss my neck. In that time, he also managed to get everything from the waist up off of me. I had yet to really reciprocate, but I didn’t want him to think I was hating this; It was entirely the opposite. I moved my arms from around his neck, letting my hands trail back up his back. Both of them were cooperating right now and allowing me to trail kisses with my left and lick up his back with the right. I bit my lip at the low groan he let out, arching into my touch. Guess they have more than one use after all....   
“Hm…” I smirked against his ear as he left one last kiss to my neck before looking me in the eye.   
“Are you sure?” He asked, his right hand trailing down from my chest down to the button of my pants, all while looking me in the eye. There were red again, but this time I don’t think he was in control, more like his emotions took control of it when he got like this.  
“Yes.” I’d never been sure of anything before, but now...he moved so quickly I didn’t really finish my thought before I found myself pinned down in the grass. I watched as he slowly sat back up, stroking my sides as he went, making me arch into him. He hooked his index fingers into the belt loops of my pants and slowly pulled them off. I was so embarrassed, I put my hand over my face to hide that I was blushing. He reached up, pulling my hand away.  
“Don’t hide you face…” It was a loving request, not a demand or an order. I tried to stifle my voice, but I know he heard me moan as he kissed down my body.  
“W-wait…” He stopped, just shy of kissing my inner thigh. I hadn’t had anyone do what he was about to do to me before.   
“I promise, I won’t hurt you. Do you want to stop?” I could see how his pants strained around his member, but he was still willing to stop right now.  
“N-no...I just...um…” He smiled softly, knowing what I was trying to say.   
“Hn, like I said, I won’t hurt you…” he kissed my thigh, gently making my other leg spread more. I felt his delicate fingers brush over my core, spreading my lower lips as he ran his tongue up and inside. I arched, grabbing at the grass under me for purchase. He did it again, this time being careful and finding my clitoris.   
“Oh fuck…” I felt him smile against me before he licked over it again, swirling his tongue around until I was squirming under him. “‘Tachi…” It was a breathy whisper between moans, but he heard it. One of my hands found its way into his hair, pulling softly as he pushed a finger inside of me, still doing that wonderful tongue thing. I could be content with this, but I know he wanted more too. I rolled my hips, signaling him I wouldn’t last long if he kept that up. He took the hint, running his tongue up my abdomen to my breasts and then playfully biting around my collar bone. He kissed me again, harder than before and allowing me to explore his mouth. I moaned, tasting myself on his lips. I needed his pants off so I could repay him. I was able to shift my leg a little and rubbed my knee into his crotch. The near feral growl he let out had shivers running down my body.  
I helped him undo the buttons as he pulled them off, revealing his sizable cock. Oh Kami, I want that inside of me now. He blushed under my gaze, suddenly shy. I pulled him forward and kissed him again, letting my left hand trail down to the head of his arousal, letting the mouth lick and take it inside. He pressed his forehead to mine as my hand sucked him off.  
“Nina…” He huskily whispered in my ear, removing my hand and pinning it by my head, lacing our fingers together. He locked eyes with me one last time, allowing me to back out if I wanted. I reached up with my free hand, pulling him down by his hair and crashed our lips together as my answer. As punishment for doing that, he bit my lower lip, making me bleed a little. After a short heated kiss, he lined himself up and slowly pushed inside of me. I bit the back of my fist, keeping from crying out. He was a lot bigger than I had imagined, but fuck it felt good.  
He groaned, finally fully sheathed inside of me, but he wouldn’t move until I adjusted. It was driving me crazy, he was...kami he felt so good.  
“Dammit, I won’t break, please…” I begged. I couldn’t take him going so slow anymore, needing him to move. So he doesn’t hesitate and started moving his hips. The feeling of him sliding in and out of me was driving me crazy, but it wasn’t enough. I rolled my hip, wrapping one of my legs around him to get a better hold on him and push him deeper.  
“Kami…” Itachi groaned as I kissed his neck, biting him hard and leaving my own marks across his chest. I decided the most beautiful sound in the world was Itachi moaning my name, losing himself with me and letting go of the worries of the ninja world.  
I felt him move his other hand down my side and sat back just a little. I pouted, unable to kiss him anymore. This allowed him to kiss down my neck and lick at my nipples. He alternated to distract me from what his other hand was up too. He had to quickly cover my mouth with his when he ran the pad of this thumb back over my clit, rubbing it in time with his thrusts.  
“‘Tachi...I-I...ah!” I couldn’t hold on, he was making it difficult to think straight and delay the empending orgasim. He looked down at me lovingly, his hair looking only slightly out of place.  
“Don’t hold back..” I bit my lip, trying not to, but he had found a spot behind my left ear that made me squirm in pleasure. He bit there, kissing away the pain as I lost control. I saw stars as I came, knowing I had cried out too loud.   
As I was coming down, I felt Itachi finally release inside of me. I shivered at the feeling of being filled. It had been the first time it had felt good, I was happy Itachi was the one to make me feel this way again. I felt wanted, needed by someone who wanted and needed me back. I felt him move, pulling himself from me. I felt empty again, but he didn’t pull completely away. He kissed my forehead, over my closed eyes, my nose and finally my lips. I was giggling when he kissed me again.  
“We should get back to camp…” The way he looked at the grass by my head told me he didn’t want to go back either. “Kisame could find us.”  
“Hn, you sure don’t know how to do pillow talk right, do you, un?” I teased him, that earned me a hard poke to my forehead. “Ow..”  
“Come on.” He smiled. He got up and helped me into the river to wash off. I did not need his cum drying down there and making it uncomfortable to continue our travels.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Rape scene  
> It will be signified by a different style line, don't read until that line appears again if it bothers you.

We had decided to take a break in the Land of Hot Water, after having to travel for so long by foot, the three of us were tired and Itachi looked like he was getting sick. He had become more pale, talked less than usual and wasn’t even trying to socialize. That wasn’t unusual, but he wasn’t answering any questions.  
Going to this village, we had to somewhat disguise ourselves. We wore yukatas over the top of our normal garb, the jackets sealed away to hide who we were. I wasn’t proud of the way we got them, but when Kisame went into a frenzied state, he would kill anyone who crossed his path. Itachi could stop him, but only if he was around. It just so happened that there were people in the woods at the wrong time when we stopped for a break, caught by Kisame while he went to take a piss. He came back, blooded with the three yukatas.   
“Look at that, they’re all about our size.” He seemed proud, like he’d gone shopping and found them just for us. If it wasn’t for the blood, maybe he could have pulled it off.  
“They’ll need washed…” I commented, to which he seemed to finally see that they were soaked in their owners blood. I doubt anyone here has stain remover, there was no way the stain could completely come out. I was pulled from the thought when Kisame threw them at me.  
“Well, you should know how to do that.” The second he said it, he got a look that he regretted it.  
“Excuse you? Is it because I’m a woman, un?”   
“Er...no. I just...you know…”   
“Kisame, silence might be the best answer right now.” Itachi warned, knowing his sexest comment had pissed me off. “I’ll come with you. We’ll have to figure out how to get the blood out.”  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
There was a small stream just off the road, which was where Kisame had found the poor people he found. There was blood in the grass on the other side, meaning this was where the deed was done. Their bodies were nowhere to be seen though.  
“Do you know how to get blood out of things?” I asked Itachi as we sat on the bank, soaking them in the water. I mean, I did for period stains and all, but it wasn’t easy. Out here, there weren’t any store bought stain removers.   
“Yes, but we don’t have what we need. Since it’s still fresh, it should come out with a good soak.” He said, pulling the blue one out to scrub the stain. I did the same with the orange pinstriped one. It was the worst, seeing as it was white, with orange and blue stripes.White wasn’t as easy to clean as a dark green or pink yukata.  
“Are you feeling alright?” I lowered my voice so no one nearby would over hear.  
“I’ll be fine once we get to the Inn.” He just needed rest I guess.   
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Kisame wasn’t happy his was the orange pinstriped yukata, because it clashed with his skin. It was the one that had fit him, so there was no choice. Itachi didn’t complain about his being an odd green with a purple sash, it really wasn’t a nice color combination but it worked on him. Mine was pink, my least favorite color as well, with a white daisy pattern that made me look like a child. The bright purple obi didn’t help that fact. I wonder how old the girl Kisame had killed had been.  
“So, how are we going to play this?” Kisame asked as we got closer to the village. “We can’t really just walk in and ask for a nice room.” He had a point.  
“We’re not entering the village. There’s an inn just past it, we’ll be safe from recognition there…” Itachi finally spoke up.  
“As long as they have a hot spring, I’m not complaining.” I shrugged, never having had been to one, I had to hide my excitement.   
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The place wasn’t what I expected. Not to say it wasn't nice, but there was a building that had collapsed not to far away from the inn. The broken sign said ‘couples suite.’ Glad I wasn’t the couple that was in there where it happened.

“Welcome!” A cheery lady in a bright blue kimono greeted us at the front desk inside the main building. I guess this village liked their colorful clothing. The only thing colorful was her, there rest was the dingy gray the outside had. It wasn’t the worst, but still, if they wanted people to come here, maybe add some paint.   
“Three rooms please.” Itachi asked, still playing the ruse that he and I weren’t sleeping together.  
“I’m so sorry, all I have is two rooms.” She looked scared when she caught sight of Kisame. “B-but you are a couple right? We still have one room with a king bed and the other is a single left.” She was looking at Itachi and me, hoping we were a couple.  
“Er…” I blushed, wanting to say something, but Itachi sighed and cut me off.  
“That’ll be fine.”  
“Great! You two on your honeymoon?!” The receptionist asked as she gave us the keys.   
And that’s how Itachi and I got a couple’s treatment at the hot springs, earning a privet spring for the two of us. Kisame laughed at us as we made our way to our rooms, telling us to have a great night and to ‘try to get some sleep.’ Thankfully he was two rooms away so he could tease us for long, but I still heard him laugh all the way there.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Inside, I sat on the edge of the bed, a little scared of what could be under the covers. The dull gray followed us throughout the whole place, making it more like a haunted springs than anything.   
“You sure this place isn’t going to cave in?” I asked as I watched Itachi take off his yukata.   
“No. But, it’s somewhere to stay that isn’t a cave.” That was true, having a bed was a luxury we couldn’t afford to have most of the time. I planned on taking full advantage of it, but the off white color of the sheets had me questioning if there was a water leak above it.   
“I guess…” I took the plunge and laid back on the bed, surprised at how comfortable it was. Considering, it wasn’t a horrible place. It was clean, it just looked dirty and old. Our room wasn’t super huge as you would think one with a king bed would be, seeing as there was no space to get all the way around it and it was pushed up to a wall. “As long as the roof stays up.” I felt him sit by me, but didn’t look over until he spoke again.  
“We shouldn’t be doing this…”  
“Huh?” I sat up on my elbows.  
“Us. I…” He looked down again, coving his face from view with his hair.   
“If you don’t want me, say it, un.” I didn’t want to be pulled around. “I just thought...you cared.”  
“That’s just it. I care too much…” I was confused. “I can’t...not if I want to complete my goal…”  
“Goal?” I was now sitting next to him on my knees, trying to get him to open up to me. “Please, don’t shut me out...not after everything.” I laid my head on his shoulder, but he didn’t move. I felt him sigh, he didn’t make any noise as he made up his mind.  
“Sasuke...everything I’m doing, is for him. My last wish is to give him a gift. A gift only I can give him.” He finally moved, revealing his eyes had changed to his Mangekyo Sharingan. “You can only get this with the death of someone you care for.” He didn’t use it on me, dispelling it just after showing me.   
“I see...you want to die by his hand.” It was the perfect suicide I guess, letting the one you wronged kill you. “Is that why you’re pushing me away?”  
“I’m dying, Nina. I can’t give you anything…”  
“You already have…” He let me kiss him, but refused to reciprocate. “You showed me I’m not completely alone in the world. There’s others who think similarly to me, who don't want to just destroy everything.” He wouldn’t look me in the eye. “You showed me that not everything is always as it seems.” I know I had figured it out, but he’s the one who chose to tell me the truth. “The truth isn’t always easy…”  
“You don’t know the half of it…” His tone was dark, asking me to drop it.   
“Why can’t you tell me?” Who was I going to tell? Who would believe a person like me? I was always amazed at how fast he was, never seeing him move until he already had you. This time he wasn’t gentle, pinning me to the bed and pinning my hands over my head with the left while his right stayed threateningly around my throat.   
“Why do you care?” He wasn’t going to hurt me, I could feel that, his grasp as weak. He did it all to scare me.   
“Why do you?” This made him pause. “You could...no, should have killed me if you didn’t want me to this close, un. Anyone else would have.” I watched his eyes change again, glaring at him that he wanted to use it on me again. Not like I can stop him, my hair was covering my eye. Deidara had taught me to break genjutsu by training my left eye to be able to dispel it.

“You have to understand, I cannot wonder from the path I set myself on.” The room around us changed, making it look like we were back at the waterfalls we had been near our first night together. I looked around, amazed that this was his power. He made me focus back to him, placing his hand on my shoulder. We were standing here, he was behind me as we looked over the river. “That night...I shouldn’t have done that. I don’t want to continue the Uchiha line…they’d be branded a child of a traitor. Not only that, but you...”  
Oh, that’s the reason. Well...I guess I should tell him.  
“Well...thing is...the Kinjutsu kind of had another affect. See, the chance of me getting pregnant is like...near zero. According to the doctors, it has a very high chance of making the user infertal.”   
“But there is a chance…”   
“One in like, a billion chance.” This made him chuckle. “And what about me? The ridicule would be nothing new.”   
“Nina…” He made me turn to look at him. “Do you understand the danger you are in?” His voice held a bit of sadness to it.   
“Do I care?” He frowned, able to use more expressions here. “‘Tachi, in our line of work we both could die tomorrow. I think I understand.”   
“No...you don’t. I want to tell you everything...all I can say is I’ve lived for only my brother. He still comes first.” I nodded, understanding that wasn’t going to change.  
“I didn’t ask for you to choose.” He had come up with that himself.  
“Hn, true. You did however make it hard.” He put his forehead against mine. “Nina, I only wish that we had met under different circumstances, but our time left is so short.” I felt something in my chest break, knowing what was coming. “Will you stay?” I gasped in shock. I thought he was going to tell me it was over, that we couldn’t stay even friends. And now he was asking if I’d stay by his side.  
“Yes.” He kissed me deeply, grateful he hadn’t scared me away. I kissed back, knowing this was still in his world. “‘Tachi…” I made him stop, silently asking him to let me out of the jutsu.   
“Hn...there’s something I must know first...where will you go when I’m gone?” He really knew how to break the mood.  
“I...don’t know.” I hadn’t gotten that far in my plans.   
“You can’t stay here. The Akatsuki will be the death of you if you do.” Itachi’s warning was clear, they saw me as nothing but a pawn and would do away with me as such. “Run to Konoha.”  
“What?” I tried, but he stopped my worries.  
“Trust me, they will take you in. Tell them what happened to you, but tell no one of us. You must make them believe you were here against you will. They may give you asylum there.”  
“If they don’t?”  
“Run...run as far from this place as you can.” He said as the genjutsu started to fade. “The Leader will never let you live…”  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Back in reality, I found myself alone in our room. Itachi had laid me properly on the bed at least, but the raven haired man wasn’t here. I could see steam coming from the small hallway that lead outside to the private bath. I figured he had gone out there and was either waiting or talking to Kisame.  
Thankfully, Itachi was the only one out there, already in the bath and facing towards the door. He’d left it open to lure me out. Sneaky bastard…  
“How’s it?” I hid my excitement. Instead of answering, he merely pulled his hand out the water and motioned for me to join him. From where he was, he had a perfect view to watch me strip down. I gave him a knowing smirk, untying the bow of the kimono and letting it fall open. I chose to not wear the usual Akatsuki attire underneath mine, going for just my under armor and underwear. Sure, it had been risky, but I wasn’t defenceless.   
I watched as his eyes turned crimson once more, watching me as I slowly made my way towards the hot springs, taking a piece of clothing off with each step. I felt the blush starting to burn my face as I took off my panties last, feeling completely exposed. Itachi never once reacted, I knew he was only holding back until I got into the water with him.   
I got in, up to my hips before he moved, making me wrap my arms around his shoulders to keep steady. He lifted me, pulling us deeper into the warm pool, my legs having to wrap around his waist as he moved us. The entire time, he hadn’t allowed me to break our kiss. I was breathless when he finally settled back on the seat near the ledge. With the water up to our shoulders, no one could see what was going on below.   
I wrapped my hand around his growing cock, letting the hand mouth lick the underside with every stroke. The groan he made, made me let out a soft moan. I loved when he made that noise. I kissed his neck, glad he was allowing me to take the lead this time. I wanted to pay him back for what he did to me. I felt one of his hands rest on my hip, the other hand came up to tangle itself into my hair, pulling at it softly. I stopped, leaving a few marks on his neck, when he pulled a little harder to get my attention. He crashed our lips together again in a heated kiss, making me want him even more.  
This was a distraction however, he used this to put me off guard to line our hips, plunging inside of me. I gasped, not expecting it at all and got very still. No, no no not now. But my mind went to the night before I was chased out of my village.   
“S-stop!” I cried out, not able to continue. Unlike then, Itachi quickly stopped, moving me so he was no longer inside. He used both of his hands to cup my face, worried he had hurt me. Only then did I feel that my face was wet with tears. “I-I’m sorry…”  
“Don’t apologize…” He said softly, wanting to know what happened.  
“I-it’s not you…” I put our foreheads together, he seemed to understand what I meant. “My sensei...he...hurt me.” I couldn’t bring myself to say he raped me, but he did. I felt him wipe my tears with the pad of his thumb, not realizing I was still crying.   
“It’s alright. You don’t have to say anymore if you don’t want to. I can’t imagine how horrible it must have been..” Itachi’s voice was soothing, calming me down after I panicked.   
“Iwao Satochi...He wasn’t well known, but he took me in at least.”  
**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I was on the streets again, the third orphanage had kicked me out after seeing my hands. I thought nuns were supposed to take everyone in, but I guess an eight year old with mouths on her hands was too much...I scratched at the wool fingerless gloves I wore to keep them hidden.   
It was an accident, I had taken them off to shower and someone walked in. Before I was kicked out, a nun had whipped my hands across the knuckles to “beat the demons out of me.” At least they stopped bleeding, but they still stung.   
I looked up, feeling a raindrop hit my head. Of course it was raining...I found an overhang in an ally to hide under as it started to pour. During Iwa’s rainy season, rain could last a few minutes to days. This one felt like it was going to be a day long one..  
“Hey!” I heard someone call, ready to run if I was in trouble. “Come get out of the rain! You’ll catch your death!” I squinted, seeing a man in a doorway through the rain. I quickly ran, not thinking about it and only wanting to get warm. I was soaked, standing in this strangers entry way before I realized I had done something very stupid.  
“Um…” I backed up, into the now closed door.   
“It’s alright, I’m not going to hurt you.” The man said. He had brown hair, brownish eyes and a thick beard .He had a soft smile that said he was friendly enough. “I’m Iwao. What are you doing out in the rain like that? Aren’t your parents worried?” I looked to the floor, pouting. “Oh...I see.”  
“I should go…”  
“In this weather? Where are you going? Maybe I can take you there.” No one had ever offered that. My answer explained, I had no home to go to. “Hm, seeing as you have no where, why not stay here. Come, I have a shirt I think might fit you. Let’s get you out of those wet clothes before you get sick.”

Iwao took me in after that, saying he was more than happy to take me in as his student. He had been injured in the war, which took him out of active duty but he had been a Chunin for Iwagakure. He taught me everything I needed to know, not caring about my weird hands. He had told me they were what made me special. He knew how I felt about them and got me leather gloves to cover them.  
He taught me how to use my explosion technique, the hands we learned could make them stronger and more controlled. I had mastered their use and my kekkei genkai by age ten. It was around this time he had become different. He had a meeting with the Tsuchikage earlier that day and hadn’t been the same. The meeting was about me entering the academy, which I was accepted into on his behalf. I noticed the change in him as soon as I got home from training in the field.  
“Sensei? Is something wrong?” I asked him at dinner.  
“Whatever do you mean?” He looked up from the book he was reading. It was weird that he didn’t want to talk at dinner.  
“You’ve been...strange.”  
“Have I? Well, sorry to worry you. My mind is on you getting in is all.”  
“Are you worried?” His face said yes.   
“Well, you are my student after all. I knew this day would come.” He smiled that reassuring smile of him.

I graduated after a year, becoming a genin. My team though didn’t seem to care for me, seeing as I was the Henkei Kaiju. I did prove them wrong though, showing them up on our first mission and saving their stupid lives. If I hadn’t placed bombs underground to create the giant trench, we would have been outnumbered by Kiri ninja. We made in to the Chunin exams after that, but sadly we didn’t pass the first time. I did however have to watch helplessly as one of my teammates was killed in an explosion, caused by our opponents. By the time we knew it was there, it was too late for me to disarm it. My other teammate and I were able to pass the next year, all in honor of our fallen friend.  
By fourteen, I was rising up in the ninja world, become a talented explosives expert. While I was finally getting the recognition I always wanted, my sensei was hidden away. He took to drinking heavily, leaving me almost on my own again. I had no idea what was going on, but looking back, I now know what was happening.

On that fateful day, I just got back from a mission that took me to The Land of Hot Water. Sadly, our mission didn’t allow for us to stay, but I wanted to try to convince Sensei to go there with me. I was so excited, bursting through the door, only to see Iwao huddled in a corner.   
“N-Nina...you shouldn’t be here…” He looked like he hadn’t taken care of himself in the last week I was gone.  
“Sensei? What’s going on?” I tried to get closer, but he got up and stepped away.  
“I don’t...want to…” He got out, holding his head in his hands before becoming still.  
“Don’t want to what...Iwao-sensei?” But he lunged at me, pinning me to the wall. I got scared, fighting him off but I went to soft. I should have hit harder, but he was the one who raised me, he was like a father. This gave him the chance to pin me face down on the floor, tying my hands together behind my back with the rope from my pack. “Sensei no!” I cried, feeling him pulling at my pants. He got mad, taking a kunai from me and cutting at them until they fell. He slammed my head into the tatami mat, putting me in a daze. I didn’t know what was happening, all I knew was there was pain. He forced his dick into me, taking me in one thrust.   
I cried out, trying to get him off, but he held fast, keeping me still with the threat of the kunai.  
“D-don’t make me…” He growled, his voice almost inhuman.  
“PLEASE! STOP!” I cried, feeling myself being torn open. I prayed it wasn’t bad…  
“C-can’t…”  
“SENSEI!” I sobbed, the betrayal was what hurt the most. I had trusted him, loved him and he did this…  
**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
After he was through violating me, he left the room for a moment. It was enough time to wiggle myself free, despite how much it hurt. I was able to get the kunai he threatened me with, cutting my arms free. I tied my torn pants together at the waist, trying to keep myself covered. I ignored the blood on my legs and the pain between them as I stood, hiding myself to attack. He came back, holding his katana and looking at where I had been. I sprang from behind him, plunging my kunai into his heart.   
“FUCK YOU! Like I’d let you kill me...I won’t die…” Not like this.  
“I-I...am sorry....g-go...r-r-run…” were his final words before he collapsed in a heap. I pulled my Kunai from his back, stabbing him a few more times, screaming from the top of my lungs in anguish. I threw it, planting it firmly into the wall.  
“I hate you…” I told him as I stood, walking towards the door. When I opened it, there was a Iwagakure ANBU about to knock.  
“Nina of Iwagakure, you are under arrest for the destruction of the village…”  
“The hell are you talking about?” I had been here, violated and they wanted to arrest me?   
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
I brought Itachi up to speed on my past, making him understand that it was nothing about him. The whole time, he soothingly rubbed my back as I sat next to him. He was thinking, I could tell from the small scowl on his brow.  
“Genjutsu…he had been under the effects of one when he attacked. Even if he had wanted to stop...I’m sorry.” He apologized.  
“For what, un?”  
“Forgetting what’s important. You survived it.” I had, but it had still hurt me that someone I trusted could let it happen.   
“Yeah…” I still felt dirty, used by it all. “Now that you know...will you stay, un?” I feared Itachi thought I was disgusting for letting it happen.   
“Of course...you’re not...you still deserve to be loved.” I watched his cheeks turn pink at the accidental admission.  
“Loved?” I smirked, liking the change in subject. “Are you saying you love me?” I think I liked that look on Itachi. It was very rare to see Itachi embarrassed, and I wanted to remember this moment.   
“Yes.” He impressed me by keeping his voice steady, still void of emotion like usual. I smiled, kissing his cheek as I watched him turn red. He was trying to hide it with his hair, but I pulled it back to kiss his cheek, seeing his shocked expression.  
“I love you too.” I whispered. “Thank you...for listening.” He didn’t know how much it meant to me that he stopped, didn’t push me to say anything and just let me talk. As he held me in a loose embrace, I was reminded that this wouldn’t last. I was determined from here on to everything in my power to make more moments like this.


	6. Chapter 6

Our stay at the Inn was extended, though it was unexpected. Leader-Sama called Itachi and Kisame to seal away the Three Tails along with the Two Tails soon after. Deidara and Tobi had been successful at capturing the Three Tails without a host, though according to a report Deidara had done it single handedly. Itachi allowed me to touch his hand to listen in. I wasn’t able to form a chakra connection with everyone like the rest of the team, but I could hear pieces of it this way. Whoever appeared next to Itachi, I was always able to hear them clearly. This time, I was able to hear Hidan who was across from Itachi. His chakra resonated enough that it disturbed the normal flow, allowing me to hear everyone when he spoke.  
“This guy…” I sighed, knowing only Itachi could hear me. It only worked as a one way communication, if I wanted to say anything, Itachi would have to relay. I heard Leader start to talk but didn’t catch all of it. Hidan was arguing with him, that’s all I knew.   
Itachi didn’t answer, knowing if he spoke they could all hear him. It wasn’t worth a fight between him and the murder crazed idiot. Itachi relayed it would be six days, telling me to be ready to defend them if needed. Honestly, we were rooms apart. If anything happened to Kisame, I doubt I could assist him; he really didn’t need me anyway. Itachi did though. Just before they were pulled into the meeting, he asked me to share my chakra with him. He didn’t have time to explain why, but I had a feeling he was worn out from using his sharingan. He used it during most of our traveling, though I wasn’t sure if it was needed. I wondered for a moment if that was now the only way he could see.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------   
After day two, I was allowed to go check on Kisame. Itachi had signaled he was ok for a while with a small shrug of his shoulder. Along the way to his room, I ran into the nice lady from the front desk. She beamed as she walked towards me, but I really didn’t want to talk to her.  
“Hello! I’m so glad you chose to stay with us longer. I’m guessing you like the Honeymoon suite?” I saw the suggestive smile, knowing she must have had heard part of what happened the other night. She quickly waved it off, oblivious of the look I was giving her. “I do wish our other one was still here, it was much nicer. I’m more than happy to give you two a discount! Oh and enjoy a free dinner on us tonight!” She said as she passed, not turning to see if I accepted her offer. “Dinner will be served at seven!”

“Thanks…?” I said to myself, not knowing what was going on with the women. Maybe this place was going under…  
I opened Kisame’s door, flaring my chakra a little to alert him it was only me. He didn’t have any to spare right now to respond, but grunted when I entered.  
“Yeah, she’s here…” He mumbled, talking to everyone else.  
“Need anything?” I asked, checking the traps on his back door and windows. All the bombs I’d set up were set to explode outwards, blowing everyone away from the buildings if they tried to get in. Trouble was, the wire liked to twist from time to time so I had to reset a few spots.   
“No…” He grunted, not liking that I had disturbed him. His sword even gave a growl from the corner.   
“I’ll check on you later then…” I could feel the murderous intent increasing in the room, resonating from that creepy sword he had. I quickly got out of there, noticing the lady had seen me enter and exit the room. She had her head poked out of the doorway to the office, quickly hiding around the corner when she saw me. Please don’t cause me trouble...I silently begged, really not wanting to have to force her to keep quiet.   
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Day three I was bored. I couldn’t help much, only giving chakra when needed and making sure my teammates were safe. No one was going to be able to touch them, I was just here as an extra. I flopped on the bed behind Itachi, knowing I had disrupted him. He never let on, but I noticed he perked up a little. I sat up a little, holding myself up with my left arm and right putting my hand on the small of his back, letting more of my chakra flow through to him. I felt a small flash, looking over and seeing Itachi had made a clone with the chakra I just gave him  
“I thought you needed…”  
“I do, I wanted to thank you without everyone hearing.” This just meant I couldn’t take my hand off of his back for a while. I was stuck in this position, giving him a very nice view of my ass.  
“You’re just using me, aren’t you?”   
“Tch, what makes you think that?” I glared, not really angry with him, but wanting an explanation. “I need your help is all. I can’t risk using all of my chakra for sealing this many tailed beasts...in case we are attacked.”   
“You know I can handle our enemies, right?” I teased him, forcing more chakra through my hand. “I’m not weak, un.”  
“I am aware. But it’s not them I worry about. Sasuke may make a move soon…”   
“Oh. You don’t want me to face him…” He wanted Sasuke to himself. I understood why. “You need all you can to face him.” The clone nodded.  
“I know he won’t hold back, I need to defend myself as long as I can. I’m sorry to use you like this…”   
“Tch...like I care. At least I’m helping with something.” Even if I was against killing these “monsters,” I still wanted to help Itachi with his goals. “I never asked before...but what do you hope Sasuke will do after?” He looked away, choosing what to say so it wouldn’t reveal whatever secret he still held.  
“I wish for him to return to Konoha. To return there as a hero is the only way for him to go back now.” His clone seemed to be getting weaker, the chakra it took to hold it more than he could spare anymore. “He deserves to go home…” With that the clone went away. I’d ask him to elaborate later, knowing the sudden disappearance meant the Three Tails was fighting back and needed to be contained. Without a Jinchūriki host it must be far more powerful.   
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Day four was odd. The receptionist took to trying to spy one me, but failed every time. I think she had it in her head that I was cheating, visiting Kisame while Itachi slept. I had to keep up the serade that all of us were still here, creating a shadow clone looking like them from time to time to keep it up. I wondered if she had caught on, but so far she seemed to think I was sleeping with both of them  
“Can I help you?” I asked her as I went to get ice. She turned red at being caught from behind a nearby trash can.  
“I-I’m so sorry…”  
“Look, we’re all friends. We’re all here on a vacation is all.” I tried. “So if you please.” If she kept it up, there would be no choice but to do what I didn’t want to do.   
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Day five I wasn’t needed much and spent it in the hot spring. It was out last night here, I was going to milk it for all it was worth. I sunk into the water, keeping my nose above water and laying back to relax.I just wished Itachi could enjoy it too, knowing he really needed it the most out of all of us. I’d given Itachi all the chakra I could, needing some for myself to defend them if anything went horribly wrong. I heard a twig snap behind me, quickly turning towards the bushes that surrounded the privet springs. I covered myself, seeing someone was there.   
“Seriously?! I told you to stop this!” I yelled, seeing the lady again.  
“I-it’s not what you think!” She quickly put her hands up, dropping the hose she had and spraying me through the leaves. I sighed, understanding what she was really doing. She was lucky it had just been me. “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t aware you were here, please forgive me!” I watched the shadow of her bow low.  
“I-it’s ok, un.” I know I’d scared her just as much as she scared me. So much for relaxing right now, guess I’d have to wait.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
I sat close to the headboard, watching Itachi’s face. There wasn’t much to do, and I wondered how he didn’t get bored too. I knew staring at him solved nothing, but I wanted to memorize how he looked when he was somewhat at peace. I’d never seen him while he slept, so this was as close as I could get. He noticed after a while, raising an eyebrow in response.   
“Nothing…” I blushed, looking away. “Wondering how you fight the boredom…” I scratched my cheek nervously. He smiled softly, knowing something I didn’t. I frowned, frustrated at the fact he couldn’t talk to me right now. He did signal for me to take his hand again, allowing me to hear that Deidara was talking. Mostly art related, but he and Hidan were at it.   
“I see...you just listen to them.” He had commentary to listen to the whole time, much to Leader’s dismay. He nodded as Hidan started telling everyone about his religion again. “How many times has he talked about this shit?”   
“Lost count…” Itachi whispered. I laughed, knowing he was suffering from the man’s speech. I laid my head on his shoulder, hearing Leader tell Hidan to shut up.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Day six dragged on. It was the last day for the sealing process, but it felt like forever. It was too hot today to go in the hot spring, so that left me with nothing to do but check the perimeter, again. I’d walked the grounds of the Inn a few times now, having the path around the place memorized. The Itachi clone and I were on what looked like just a stroll through the grounds. It was to check traps I set out there, all were chakra sensitive and wouldn’t hurt civilians if they got to close. So far, none were triggered.  
“I wish we could go into the village.” I lamented to myself.  
“We can’t…” the clone told me, knowing I knew that already.  
“I could…” I could send a clone, one that looked like a normal civilian to explore, but that was pointless. I wanted to explore the village, not a memory from a clone.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Kisame wasn’t happy about my visits, but they were needed unless he wanted to blow up. I reminded him of this when he growled at me for getting close.  
“Do you want to explode, un? Cause I can make that happen…” I threatened. I could make it so there was very little damage to the building. He glared, best he could with his eyes closed and stopped being a pissy brat. The sword even stopped making noises at me while I finished. “When we leave, make sure to tear the seal near the door.” Otherwise it wouldn’t deactivate and take the buildings out.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
I was hanging upside down off the bed when Itachi was finally freed. He looked at me like I’d lost it.  
“That bad?” He teased me, stretching as he moved from his position on the bed. I pouted when he chose to take advantage of my position and put his hand on my abdomen. It tickled, he knew that, and it nearly threw me off the bed. He did grab me, pulling back up before I fell.  
“That was mean…” I was kidding, but he took pity and kissed my forehead.   
“Forgive me.” He joked, he taken to teasing me to show affection. “We should get moving.” He obviously didn’t want to, but Kisame chose that moment to burst in, breaking the lock and setting off a net trap. That pissed him off. He sliced it off with his sword as his eyes bulged.   
“Kisame…” Itachi tried, but he was in a frenzie. The raven could calm him to a point, but with his chakra a third of what it could be he couldn’t risk using his sharingan.   
“Just try, Itachi…” Kisame grinned, but he wouldn’t attack him. Me on the other hand...I was a perfect target. I felt the air turn again, the intense fear seeping into my body as he sneered at me. “I’ve wandered...where do those mouths on your hands lead?” I was able to break out of the frozen state by making the right hand mouth bit its tongue. I just pulled my kunai when Itachi moved between us, instantly forcing Kisame to stand down. He used his sharingan to make Kisame drop his sword, bringing the shark man to his knees.  
“You know I don’t like doing this to you…however you keep forcing me to do it.” Itachi’s voice was low, the dark tone a warning that he would kill him. “This is the last time I will hold back.”   
Kisame, shaken by whatever Itachi showed him, stepping backwards out of the room. Itachi put his hand to his eyes when he was out of sight. I made him turn towards me, taking his hand away to see if his eyes were bleeding again. They weren’t, but his dark eyes looked dull again.   
“I’m fine.” He lied.  
“What do you need?” The illness was flaring up again from using too much chakra. He shook his head, taking out a scroll. I recognized it as the one that held the black water bottle. I kept watch at the door as he summoned it and drank whatever it was he had mixed inside. He didn’t cough like last time, but he did still cringe.   
“There’s nothing for you to do…” He said after sealing it away once more.  
“What is that stuff?”   
“Medication. This is the last of it.” I worried about what would happen once it was gone.  
“How much is left?” The expression he made let me know it wasn’t enough. “Where can…”  
“Nina…” He grabbed my shoulders. “There’s nothing that can be done. The amount I’d have to take to keep alive is too much. What I have isn’t even enough.” He hadn’t been taking a full dose this whole time. “It would be too far of a journey to get anymore, I wouldn’t make it by then. I can last for a while longer, but it’s no more than a month.”   
“‘Tachi…” It was too soon, I thought we had more time than that. He cupped my face, giving me a knowing look.  
“I know.” He kissed me softly, only wanting to convey how sorry he was about how short our time was.” The time given to us shouldn’t be wasted.   
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------  
Once outside, we noticed how eerily quiet everything was. We gave each other a look, knowing Kisame had done something. As we approached the main office, we saw what had happened. Currently only the inside was burning, the flames trapped behind the glass for now. The door was broken inwards from being kicked in, the silhouette of the man behind it all could be seen in the doorway. He threw the poor woman out onto the gravel road, blood all over the hem of her kimono.   
“P-please!” She begged as he loomed out of the building. We were too late to stop him from ripping her to pieces with his strange sword. The horrified look forever plastered on her face would be burned in my memory, solidifying my hate for killing.   
“What have you done?” Itachi was pissed off.  
“Only what was needed. They saw us.” He grinned, wiping the blood off his face.   
“They?” I asked.  
“Guess there was a sister and a grandfather…” My heart sank further.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------  
Kisame insisted that he go after the Four Tails all alone. He wasn’t far off from where we made camp, so Itachi and I had time to kill. Of course he was still a little tired, so mostly we talked about what our dreams had once been.  
“Really? You wanted to be Hokage?” I wasn’t laughing at him, just surprised.   
“It was a long time ago…” Though I felt he would be if some events didn’t happen. “Shishu and I had a dream to change Konoha and the alliance with our clan.” He quickly got quiet, having revealed something he hadn’t meant to.  
“So...who’s Shisui?” I asked, trying to keep him from clamming up again.   
“He...was my best friend.” I had a feeling something terrible happened to him. “I killed him, his last gift to me was the Mangekyo.” So there was the pattern and key to his quest.  
“Just like what you want to do for Sasuke.” He smiled softly, glad I understood. “What was he like?” Knowing his best friend might be a tough subject for him to talk about.  
“Shisui was kind, even after being forced to help out in the war. He and I met when I was five, he kind of just took me under his wing from there.” He spoke fondly of his friend, having deeply cared for this man. Itachi made me look him in the eye, the sharingan activating again and pulling me in.

“The rest I cannot say aloud.” He held me closer in this world, I was in his lap as fireflies floated around us in a seemingly empty space. “There was a rift...Konoha and the Uchiha were at odds with one another, one accusing the other of wrongdoing. Both were not innocent, but neither would admit guilt.” He told me as he played with my hair, braiding it into smaller braids as he spoke. “Shisui and I were thrown into the mix, but we couldn’t comprehend why neither side would not talk to one another about anything. Nothing was solved, in the end the Uchiha wanted to rise, but we had a plan. However, a third person came into play. They are the true reason for the Uchiha’s massacre, but they are not the ones who pulled it off. They merely pulled the strings behind Konoha behind our backs... “  
“Is he the reason Shisui died?” I felt him pull my hair into a braided bun, attaching flowers to it, pulling them from the empty space.  
“Yes...he took his eye. The Mangekyo he held was far more powerful than my own. It can make a person think their actions are their own, but are merely an illusion created by the caster. In the wrong hands, it could’ve posed a true threat…” He summoned a crow, which held a red eye. “I only show you this to know what happened to the other. Only you know the truth.” The crow looked at me with its Mangekyo, but it was only an illusion, it had no real effect here.  
“It's held in your summoning jutsu…”   
“Shisui’s summon. He put it here, entrusting it to me. Now, I entrust you to keep that between us.” He let the bird fly into the nothingness around us. “I have yet to find where to keep it.”  
“If you need to...I can.” He smiled, leaning me back against his chest so I could look up at him.   
“I have a place in mind, but it’s up to chance if we meet again.” He was being cryptic again, all I could do was trust his word. “I think Shisui would be alright with you keeping it safe too.”   
“Would he now, un?” He was being humorous in his own way.  
“He would have liked you too.” He looked distant for a moment, making something click.  
“Oh...he was more than a friend huh?” He blushed, hiding his face the way he did when he got embarrassed. “You never told me I wasn’t your first.”  
“You never asked.” Good point. “But no, you weren’t. He was my first...everything.” He admitted. He really loved him, but I don’t think anyone knew before now. The way he talked made it seem that way.  
“Wish I could have met him, un.” I nuzzled my face into his neck, knowing this was painful to talk about.   
\---------------------------------------------------------  
The genjutsu faded after that, both of us still sitting next to each other here. I wished we could sit how we were in the other world, but Kisame would see and expose us as a couple. Itachi also warned that Zetsu could show up at anytime as well to check on them. They were a little late on getting the Four Tails, but it hadn’t been their fault for making the sealing last six days. The Jinchuriki had also ran a few times, making him harder to track.

Itachi made the first move, throwing caution to the wind. I had noticed him hesitating about something, possibly making sure is was clear, before he turned my head towards him to kiss me. I deepened it, fighting him a bit for dominance over the kiss. He didn’t relent this time, taking a hold of my other hand as he pushed me back. In that time, he’d made a clone, making me fall back into its chest.   
“W-what?” I know I turned red instantly, hoping he was only kidding.  
“He’s keeping watch.” The real Itachi assured me, seeing me panic. However the clone was helping me out of my shirt from behind me, cupping my breasts through my bra. I lifted my arms, wrapping them around the clone’s neck and completely surrendering myself to him. I felt his fingertips ghost over my sides, arching into the real one as he leaned back to take his shirt off. The clone’s hands slipped into the waistband of my pants, grabbing my ass with both of them when I arched up.   
“H-hey…” I gasped, feeling his fingers slip in between my legs and rub against the forming wet spot in my panties from behind. “K-keeping watch my ass…” I heard the clone laugh.   
The real one watched me for a while before sliding my pants off, taking my shoes with them. The panties stayed for now, I think he wanted to see how wet he could get me first. I felt the clone’s fingers dip inside, the fabric creating a strange sensation against the sensitive folds.  
Itachi pulled a kunai, cutting them off of me along with my bra. The thrill of him holding the sharp knife near my skin made moan. Pulling me into another kiss, he distracted me again as he switched places with the clone with a replacement jutsu. He sat me up, sitting me in his lap and rubbing his cock between my ass cheeks. The sensation was overwhelming, making me wonder if I would like him to take me up the ass.   
“Do you want this?” He whispered huskily, nipping at the shell of my ear. He was making sure he wouldn’t trigger anything again. I rolled my hips, making him groan as a response.  
“Please, put your cock in already.” I begged, the clone was kissing my chest, making sure to alternate between which nipple he would suck or rub to try to surprise me a little when Itachi entered me in one thrust. I felt his hand cover my mouth to keep my cries down. Kami he felt so good.  
“‘Tachi…” I moaned after he uncovered my mouth, moving my hips to make him move. He did, taking a hold of my waist and thrusting into me hard. I felt his knees move under mine, spreading my legs more to allow the clone a perfect view of where Itachi and I were connected. I smirked at it, seeing what he was doing.I shamelessly let my left hand travel down and spread the lips of my pussy wider for it to see. In this position the clone got a view of my swollen clit, watching his pupils widen in excitement. The clone moved to bury his face between my legs, swirling his tongue over my clit. I felt Itachi take my right hand in his, lacing our fingers together as I tipped my head back to lay on his shoulder. I felt him roll his hips, pushing deeper inside, both of us moaned at the feeling of him deep inside me.  
“Nina…” He sighed, kissing my neck softly as his left hand roamed my body. I was losing control quickly with the tag team trick, losing my pace and becoming erratic. He tried to keep me with him, but the clone didn’t let up and I quickly was brought to the best orgasim of my life. I felt his hand over my mouth again, the warmth of his seed coating my insides soon after. After we came down, he laid me down on my side, rubbing my hips soothingly. I looked to see a bruise with his fingerprints forming there; I couldn’t have felt happier with them. It grounded me, reminding me I was loved, secretly taking pride that it was me Itachi had chosen to mark.  
“I love you…” I didn’t realize I had said it out loud until Itachi kissed my shoulder.  
“And I you…” He whispered, making me roll over to look at him, my face burning. “After all we’ve done, you're embarrassed by this still.” He teased me, kissing my neck and leaving a few marks.   
“I...just never felt anything so strongly before.” I admitted. He had, but he’d lost and found it again with me. I wondered, could I?  
I felt him wrap his arms around me, the clone going off to actually keep watch now as we slept. I wanted this to never end, but now that the time was coming closer I felt myself wanting more. I’d give anything for more time, but life was cruel and took pity on no one. I’d have to live in the real world and our reality didn’t allow us to live happily ever after. I wouldn’t allow myself to cry, to mourn what I had yet to lose before I lost it. Every moment had to count, it’s all I could do to keep myself sane.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *-----------* This signifies the flash back. Enjoy

Nina's view:

After two days Kisame was finally back from his fight, carrying the older man that held the four tails on his sword. It was starting to rain, a storm was coming and with it a sense of dread.  
"Let's get under the trees. We don't need to be catching a cold out here." The shark man grinned.  
"Hn." Itachi agreed, leading us into the surrounding forest. "Kisame, be careful with the old man. His almost dead…" Itachi scolded him.  
"You didn't have to fight him. You have no idea how tough he was." Kisame retorted as the rain started coming down harder. "Of course I did ask to go alone. Maybe you'll let me beat your target half to death too…"  
"Don't get cocky, Kisame."  
"I'm just tired is all. I'd like to find him quickly and get this over with."  
"There's no rush. We have plenty of time left to catch him. You can take a break if you want." Itachi was trying to delay us, but I wasn't sure why.  
"There's still a few bijuu left right?" Kisame asked as Itachi sat down under a tree. I sat by him, noticing he seemed very tired. "I just think we should be catching them as fast as we can." I had spaced out on his speech, trying to figure out what Itachi was up too.  
"There's nothing to worry about. Deidara failed already, and seeing as he's the last to be sealed anyway, we can leave that hunt until the end." I was beginning to think he was delaying because he didn't want to go after this Naruto kid. "Besides, all of the trouble we have caused has made the Akatsuki stand out. If we act too fast, Konoha will become even more restless."  
"They'd have no choice but to strike back." I spoke up, understanding that part of the plan.  
"Right. Seeing as Konoha has a lot of contacts across other villages, once they put the word out, it would make it very difficult to move." Itachi warned.  
"That makes sense…" Kisame agreed. Both of them suddenly perked up.  
"Good timing…" Itachi grabbed my hand, letting me listen to the meeting. Again, it wasn't clear. I listened to the broken voice of our Leader, telling everyone that they were all there. The lack of cursing clued me in that someone was missing.  
"Kakuzu and Hidan are dead…" Itachi relayed. Couldn't say I was upset by that, the silver haired bastard had it coming.  
"Hehe...I wish I could have seen how they were killed." Kisame grinned, only to be scolded by our leader.  
"It seems it was Kakashi and the nine tails." The raven gave a small squeeze to my hand, indicating he needed to talk to me later. Kisame had his eyes closed, so he couldn't see these signals.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------  
I heard Deidara yelling, only catching pieces as his chakra disrupted the normal flow. He'd become more angry with everyone since Sasori's death, taking it out mostly on Tobi. Though Tobi kind of deserved it, he always started it. Itachi went very still, listening to what Leader was saying.  
"Sasuke...has killed Orochimaru."  
"I'm getting annoyed that you're repeating everything, un!" Deidara screamed at Itachi.  
"I'm relaying it to Nina…" Itachi sighed. Deidara knew this, he was just dramatic at times.  
"Oh! Does that mean you're holding hands?!" Tobi squealed, disrupting the chakra flow more and allowing me to hear everyone.  
"What the...NO!" Deidara was pissed. "How dare you touch her!"  
"You don't know the half of it." I heard Kisame say in the meeting room. Oh shit…  
"What did you just say?" Deidara sounded beyond ticked off at hearing Itachi and I were together. Kisame just blew that cover out of the water.  
"Enough…" Pain's voice rang over everyone, drowning all voices but his own out. I wasn't able to hear anymore of what was happening, but I knew that Sasuke had gathered a team and was heading towards us. Itachi wasn't too worried, but I was. Time was ticking on our time together, making my heart hurt.  
An overwhelming feeling came over me, making me quickly let go of Itachi's hand and run off to a nearby bush. The amount I puked up surprised me, since I hadn't eaten all the much in a few days. Why do I feel so sick?  
"Nina?" I turned around, seeing Itachi had made a clone to check on me. "What happened?"  
"Think I ate something bad…" I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "I'm alright." The clone helped me up, looking me over with the sharingan active. His eyes didn't leave my abdomen.  
"What?" He was scaring me. "What is.." He covered my mouth with his hand, leaning in closely.  
"Once we've sealed the four tails, we need to talk." His voice was low, making sure no one near us would hear. The clone vanished, leaving me to worry the next three days.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------  
I was awoken by Itachi shaking my shoulder. They had finished the sealing and were ready to move on. We'd stayed in this area too long. No one spoke for a long time, making me worry something else was going on.  
"So, you really ok with Deidara going after Sasuke?" Kisame broke the tension, making me stop in my tracks.  
"Wait...what, un?!" This wasn't good…  
"Oh, that's right. You fell asleep." Kisame was teasing me.  
"It depends on who he finds first. If he finds the nine tails then he'll attack him instead." Itachi was worried as well, but hid it better than I did.  
"Let's hope he finds the nine tails then…" The grin he had gave me chills.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------  
Not even a day later Itachi and Kisame were called again, making us stop in the middle of a rocky area. I took Itachi's hand, noticing someone else was missing.  
"Deidara is dead. He finally went out with a bang." I heard Pain clearly. There wasn't any pain...no feelings of remorse. I couldn't feel anything for my brother.  
"No…" It was horrifying, but we hadn't really been super close. I heard Kisame joke about it, asking who got him. I stomped on his foot, making him cringe. Even though we were not close, he had still been my brother.  
"Sasuke...but." Zetsu spoke then. "Sasuke died too." I could feel Itachi's heart breaking.  
"Be grateful to him, Itachi. Deidara eliminated a problem for us." Pain's words made Itachi clench his fist, almost making it so I had to pull away to not get hurt.  
"Who else is missing?" Kisame asked. "I feel like we're forgetting someone."  
"Oh, Tobi also died in the explosion." Zetsu added in as an afterthought. No one seemed to mourn that loss.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------  
After the meeting, Itachi didn't move from his spot, even when the rain started up again. It was raining harder this time, matching Itachi's mood.  
"We shouldn't stay too long…" Kisame told him from under the alcove of rocks we'd taken shelter in.  
"Itachi…?" I stepped out to him, not caring if I got wet. I put my hand on his shoulder, seeing he was looking into the rain to hide any tears.  
"Giving how ruthless you can be, it's odd to say this, but from here it looks like you're crying." Kisame stayed under the rocks. For a water user, he really didn't seem to care for rain. "Now you're to sole Uchiha survivor." I heard the grin in his voice.  
"No…" Itachi startled me with that answer. "He's not dead...besides…" He trailed off and glanced at me  
"What?" Kisame asked as Itachi pulled me into a genjutsu.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------  
"When were you going to tell me?" Itachi asked in his fabricated world of nothingness.  
"Tell you what, un?"  
"Hn...I see...you know my sharingan can see chakra in color, right?" I nodded, knowing Kisame couldn't hear or see any of this. "Yours is blue, but you carry a lavender chakra within you...Nina, your one in a billion chance seems to have happened…" I couldn't believe what he was telling me.  
"No…"  
"You're pregnant…" He told me, dispelling the jutsu. "But they aren't the other one I was referring too…"  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------  
We made camp, but we weren't staying long. It was only to make sure we wouldn't tire out before the impending fight. Kisame went out to patrol, making sure no one followed us or had found us. This gave Itachi and me time to talk things over.  
"'Tachi...I'm sorry...I didn't know." He shushed me, pulling me into an embrace.  
"I'm not angry." I looked up from being squished into his chest to see he was smiling, but his eyes held a heart-shattering sadness. "I know what I said...about not continuing the clan. I didn't, but only because it would be a burden to you and the child. But now…" He rubbed a thumb over my cheek. "You have to go…" He got stern all of the sudden. "If the other finds out...he'll kill you."  
"Who, un?"  
"Madara Uchiha…" He said softly. "Please, go before he finds out." He was begging me, pleading with me to leave.  
"Tachi I promised to be with you till the end." I kissed his cheek. "I can't leave you now…"  
"You must. The enemy is also on our tail, along with Sasuke...You know what will happen." I bit my lip, knowing there wasn't much choice left. Fate had plans and didn't allow for me to leave just then.  
"Show yourself, Naruto Uzumaki." I stiffened, looking behind us to see the blonde boy.  
"You two finally gonna try capture me?"  
"No, I merely want to talk with you." Itachi had planned this...that's why he wanted me to leave.  
"Nina…" I felt the clones too and quickly ducked down so Itachi could take them out with his shuriken.  
"I won't fall for that!" Naruto yelled, trying not to look into Itachi's eyes. "And you, I know you're gonna try and blow me up! Hey...were you the one to attack Sasuke?!" He was pissed off at the wrong person.  
"Have you forgotten I have a twin, un." This made the kids eyes widen.  
"Wait...that wasn't a shadow clone last time?" How dumb was this kid?  
"I see you've learned how to fight someone with the sharingan. You must know what to do when your alone with a user. Why aren't you running?" Itachi questioned the boy.  
"Because, I can go from one to one thousand in a second! Besides, I can't run this time, I need to capture you to find Sasuke!"  
Itachi was quiet for a moment, knowing this kid couldn't take us, but didn't want to hurt him.  
"Why are you so obsessed with my brother? He's a rogue ninja that abandoned you."  
"Because he's like a brother to me! And I'm a better one than you everywhere!" If only he knew…  
"Come one kid, what makes you think…" I didn't even finish when he charged. Itachi lifted his cloak and crows flew out towards Naruto, trapping him in a genjutsu and allowing me to hide from sight before it was broken. Itachi wanted to talk with him alone, so I'd give him some space.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------  
Itachi and I met up miles away, closer to an old Uchiha hideout. We walked into the dark entryway and into what looked like a throne room. The art work on the wall was old, fading with age, but still beautiful. At its prime, I'm sure the colors would be mostly bright reds and blues.  
"This is where I told Sasuke to come…" Itachi told me, walking towards the throne. "This...is where we part ways." I took a hold of his arm.  
"I told you…"  
"Nina...this is where we will fight. I cannot allow you to be here. You could get hurt." He looked back at me. "You're too important...both of you are." I pulled him into one more embrace, kissing him with everything I had. He did the same, trying to convey how much we loved each other before it was all taken away.  
"There's an exit towards the back corner, hidden by a switch...Kisame is already waiting in the direction Sasuke is coming to head his team off. He'll be here in an hour." He cupped my face, making me look at him. "Remember what I told you...run from here."  
"Who's Madara?" I cut him off.  
"He is the one pulling the strings. He is the one who helped me eliminate my clan. Madara is dangerous, whatever you do, do not get caught by him." Itachi's voice was soft, warning me to stay on my toes once he was gone. "He's the one no one would suspect." He couldn't tell me out right, my life would be in even more danger than it already was.  
"I promise, I won't get caught by him." He smiled at me, knowing I couldn't avoid him if he chose to come after me. For the second time that day, he pulled me into a genjutsu.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------  
"I want to thank you...for everything you have given me." We were back at the waterfalls, this time there were fireflies and a full moon to illuminate us. It was beautiful, this jutsu of his was truly a mastery of art. "I only wish to have given you more…"  
"You have." I took his hand and put it on the growing bump of my stomach. "You've given me another purpose in life…" He shattered then, allowed to show his raw emotions here. He fell to his knees, pulling me into a hug to rest his head on my abdomen. I stroked his hair, knowing this was his way to say goodbye.  
"Forgive me…" His voice never cracked, but I saw the tears. "We will never meet, but know that you are very much loved." He looked up at me, looking so broken and hurt. I'd never seen him this way. I knelt with him, holding him tightly.  
"They will...they'll know how much you loved them. I won't let them forget...I-I.." He kissed my forehead.  
"You'll be a great mother. I know you will…" He kissed me one final time in this world. "No matter what happens to you or what you choose to do from here, know that I will love you, always, Nina." The world was ripped away suddenly, faster than I had wished for it too.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------  
"For you…" In reality, he and I were sitting on the throne with me in his lap; our foreheads were pressed together. In his hand he held his necklace, the one he was wearing was just a knock off, the red jewels were missing on his new one. He put it on me, letting his fingers linger on the back of my neck. "It was a gift from Shisui, but now I want you to have it." It was all I would have to remember him by.  
"'Tachi…" He shushed me with a soft kiss and put something else in my hand. A pair of new, black leather gloves. I smiled, thankful that he remembered how much they bothered me still.  
"These are to help hide who you are…there's not much time." But the way his grip on my cloak tightened told me he wasn't ready either. "He's moving much quicker than expected."  
"I love you…" I told him, kissing him one last time. "I won't forget you…"  
"You must go…" He closed his eyes, having already said goodbye and not able to bring himself to do it one more time. "Please…" With one last squeeze of his hand, I ran to the hidden door.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------  
I could feel the tears streaming down my face, but I refused to look back as the door shut behind me, sealing me out of the hideout. I pushed forward, trying to get away but my vision was blurred. I stopped after getting at least five miles away, sobbing to hard to continue. The sky opened up and poured rain on me, making me even more miserable than before.  
"Why!?" I cried up to the gods. "What must you torment me like this…" I fell to the ground in a heap of misery, punching the ground hard enough to leave a small crater. My mind playing through all the time I spent with Itachi.  
I remembered I had photos of us from when I had found a polaroid camera on one of Kisame's unfortunate victims. It still had film for only five more pictures, and I had insisted we use them.  
**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
"Itachi, smile!" He turned, eyebrow raised as I snapped the picture. The picture printed out, slowly revealing that even a caught off guard Itachi still looked very handsome in photos. "No fair, I'd look like a doofus…" Which earned a real smile.  
"Where did you find that?" the raven had asked, looking over the camera when he took it.   
"In one of their packs." I motioned to one of the men on the ground. "Cool huh? Un."  
"Yea." I took it back, wrapping an arm around him and facing the camera at us. "Cheese!" I smiled. The photo printed, revealing he did smile a little as the flash had gone off.  
"Hn. Why are you taking pictures?" He looked at the two I'd taken, seeming to approve of them.  
"Why not? It's almost empty anyway. Three left, what next?" I made a face, aiming it at myself with Itachi behind me and took another. The picture showed he was laughing at me deep inside, his eyebrow was raised and he had a soft smile at the face I was making. "What, no silly face from you?"   
"No." He was being overly serious, in a joking way. I laughed, which got Kisame's attention from looting a body from a good distance away. Luckily, he wasn't interested and just shook his head at me.  
"Two left…" I challenged him. He looked away for a moment, making sure Kisame wasn't looking.  
"How about this…" He said pulling me close and surprising me by kissing me. He waited until I was kissing back, the flash behind my closed eyes the only warning that that was what he had planned. He had taken the camera from me when he kissed me. I blushed as the picture developed, seeing how we kissed and how in love we looked in the picture.  
"Last one?" I smirked, which made him blush.  
"Nina…" This was just after we had made love for the first time, so he was just a bit shy about it still.  
"I'm not the one that thought it, un." His mind had obviously gone to the wrong place. "Here…" I held it up, kissing his cheek as I snapped the photo. I wasn't able to see how it turned out, Kisame called out to us and wondered what we were doing. From the way we were positioned, Kisame would not have seen me kiss his cheek.  
"Found a camera." I hid the last two photos in my pouch to keep him from finding out about us, though he might've known about us already.  
Kisame took the camera from me to look it over, getting upset that all the film was gone now. He threw it on the ground, smashing the thing to bits.   
"Aw, that thing was cool." I was hoping to keep it to take photos of the different plants and birds we spotted; guess that wish was gone now.  
**---------------------------------------------------------------**

"The last one…" I reminded myself, taking off my back pouch and pulling out the five photos. The first three were bent, having been used to protect the two important ones. I had to smile through the tears as I found the last photo we had together. "Tsh…" He look he was giving me in the photo held all the love he had for me captured in it. I had my eyes closed, I hadn't known he was looking at me that way.  
These five photos showed the truth about who Itachi really was, they were all I had left of the man I loved. I quickly pulled an empty scroll and sealed them inside to protect them from anymore damage. As I rolled it up, the sky got darker over the area Sasuke and Itachi were fighting. My eyes widened, knowing the end of the battle was coming.  
"'Tachi…I won't let you down…" I turned to leave, but nearly ran into an orange masked man.

"Tobi?" That's when Itachi's words finally clicked, Tobi wasn't who he seemed to be. I know I looked shocked by this sudden realisation, I know he saw it too.  
"Uh oh...looks like I led them here…" The way he said it and the way he looked at me, he meant to do it. He planned on leading Konoha ninja right to me. He grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the way from an attack by Naruto.  
"You again!?" The blonde recognized me. "Where's Itachi?!" I leapt out of the way again from a pink haired girl that punched through a tree. Oh yeah...that one. She was the one that took Sasori out.  
"You're not getting away this time!" She yelled as another kid got close to me. He was pale with short black hair and was using paintings to attack me. I threw a few clay mites at them, taking them out with small explosions.  
"You have it wrong…" I tried to reason as I landed in the tree behind the silver haired man. I kept my voice down, making sure he heard, but not Tobi. I felt a pull on my foot, a tree root had grown there, holding me to the tree. I looked up in fear as Nartuo came at me with a rasengan. "Wait! No!" If he hit me, he'd kill my child.  
"Naruto!" A girl with purple hair called. "She's pregnant! Don't!" Her eyes...was that Byakugan? She was able to see the baby too...  
Naruto let the jutsu go in shock and instead smacked into me, forcing me backwards out of the tree. I felt my ankle twist in the process, making it pointless to run.  
"Nina-chan!" I heard Tobi call out and felt him pull me up with my arm over his shoulders. Oh no, no that's not what I wanted. I wanted them to catch me.  
"T-Tobi…" I looked up at his mask, swearing I saw a glow of red through the eye hole. That just confirmed, he was who Itachi warned about.  
"Our formations aren't working...how is he able to avoid them?" The one who was able to use wood style said as Tobi held me up. It was true, he seemed to get out of things unscathed very easily.  
"How the hell did he dodge it, we nailed him!" The one with the giant dog said, landing near Naruto. He and Naruto talked about how their attacks seemed to go right through him. The boy, Shino, confirmed that was what was happening.  
"It must be a clone or a genjutsu then…" Sakura thought.  
"I-I thought so too...but other than her, there's no other chakra signatures around us." The shy, purple haired girl said. I was learning Tobi was far stronger than he let on, or should I say Madara. I had to get away from him, allow myself to be captured to get away from him.  
"Teehee!" Tobi laughed in glee as he leapt back with me and started running again.  
"W-wait a second…" He was going faster than I could, eventually just picking me up.  
"Boy, you sure aren't like senpai, are you? He'd be blowing them up left and right by now…" So he had caught on.  
"Low on clay." It was a lie, but I wasn't going to attack them. "Besides, we're outnumbered, un."  
"Hm, I guess…" That's when Shino released his attack.  
"Not bugs! Gross!" Tobi was unusually playful with his enemies.  
"Tobi, don't take it so lightly!" I chided him. "Now move!" He was already dodging the attacks, but Aburame clan wasn't known for striking just one spot. We were quickly surrounded by the tiny bugs. There was no way out, they had us.  
They surrounded us, trapping us inside a cocoon of bugs. As they were about to suck our chakra when I felt a strange pull, like I was being sucked into a portal.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------  
We landed in a tree behind them, the strange sensation making me throw up.  
"Oops, should have warned ya. First timers usually get sick." Tobi was messing with me, he was only keeping me alive because he knew about the child I carried. "Look out." He pushed me out of the way, letting Kiba go right through him again.  
It was then that Zetsu appeared right next to Tobi.  
"Well?" Tobi asked, knowing what he meant.  
"It's over…" The Konoha ninja below asking what he meant. "Sasuke won. Itachi is dead." I knew it was coming...the grief I felt though was far more overwhelming than I thought it would be. I collapsed to my knees, knowing the ninja below saw.  
"Oh! Didn't see that coming! NOT! Just as I predicted." How did Tobi know?  
"Sasuke collapsed a second later. We should hurry, he might be fading fast."  
"Hey! Aloe Vera! Where is Sasuke!?" Naruto yelled. I had to laugh at the nickname, Zetsu didn't find it funny.  
"I'll play with you children another time…" Tobi's voice changed, suddenly deeper and far more menacing. He hauled me up again, waving his hand and pulling us back into that weird portal of his.  
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We arrived at the aftermath of their fight, the rain pouring harder here. Seeing Itachi's lifeless body...it wasn't what I needed to see.  
"You're too slow.." I looked up at the masked man sitting on the wall above them. He was speaking to Zetsu, who only just arrived.  
"Well excise me for not being able to move at the fucking speed of light!" The plant complained. I listened to them talk about how he'd like to watch the fight the plant recorded later. I have no idea what that meant, but it didn't sound good.  
"For now, we need to take Itachi corpse and leave. We have company on the way." He turned to me. "How long did you think you could hide your little romance from me?" I glared, knowing I had no chance at a fair fight right now.  
"Who are you?" Though I already figured it out.  
"I think you already know. You and Itachi were...close." He knew...he knew everything somehow. He used his jutsu to pull the two Uchiha away into the strange portal.  
"What are you going to do now, un?"  
"I think you'll be perfect for what I need to do.." This time, he wasn't nice about grabbing me, taking a hold of the collar of my shirt. "If you try to run, try to escape me in any way, I will kill you. But first, I'd make sure to kill the brat inside of you first. I might let you watch as I tear them from you…" The threat was enough, but how he described it made my blood run cold.  
I felt a pull and we were taken to a different hideout, one I'd never seen before.  
"Take care of him. I'll be back." I turned to watch Madara take Itachi's body away, leaving me with an injured Sasuke.  
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I cupped the boys face as I examined the blood on his forehead, thanking Itachi for the gloves. The mouth would have licked Sasuke, which I didn't need. The blood wasn't his and washed off with warm water.  
"You look a lot like him, you know?" He wouldn't respond in the state he was in. "Don't worry...I'm here now, un." I vowed to try to protect the kid, to honor Itachi's wish for him to go home. He could come with me, I could explain somethings if needed, but at least he'd be safer than he was here.  
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After Sasuke was bandaged up, I laid him back down on a makeshift bed made of two thin blankets and a third rolled into a pillow. He twitched a little, slowly opening his eyes and looked around.  
"Take it easy…" I said as he quickly shot up. "I gave you first aid but you need rest." He was breathing hard, confused as to where he was. He finally looked at me, calming down a bit.  
"Who are you?" He sounded exhausted.  
"Nina. You're Sasuke, right?" Of course he was, but he didn't know me at all. "You…" I was going to say he was safe, but Tobi appeared in the shadows.  
"You won." Sasuke turned. "You almost lost. You shouldn't be so reckless with your life." Those eyes...they were broken and lost, like Itachi had been. The poor kid was as broken as I was, as his brother had been.  
"We have met before as enemies, but don't worry about what happened with Deidara. I'm not your foe."  
"So, your his sister…" Sasuke said softly, looking up at me. "You gonna try me too?"  
"No, I won't attack you. I don't have anything against the sharingan like he did." He glanced back at Madara as he spoke.  
"I brought you here to tell you something interesting." Sasuke looked away, wanting nothing to do with the masked madman. "Not interested? I see...maybe you'll listen when I say, it's about Itachi." Sasuke seemed to be listening now. "Before we go on, let me introduce myself and this woman. Like you, I'm an Uchiha." He lifted his mask off to reveal his one eye to be activated. "And we are the ones who know the truth about Itachi Uchiha."


	8. Chapter 8

Sasuke looked shocked, looking between the two of us. His eyes activated as well, sensing the danger he was in. I wouldn't hurt him, but Madara might. As soon as I thought it, Sasuke's eyes changed and tears of blood wept from his eyes.

"Mangakyo…" I whispered as he opened his eyes and looked towards Madara. Black flames engulfed the man arm, making him tumble back into the dark shadows. We heard him cry out, but I knew it wasn't the end of it. Sasuke cried out in pain and I had to resist holding him. He wasn't trusting of me just yet.

"Sasuke-kun, listen…" His eyes turned to me, but they held no malice towards me. I kept my voice down so Madara could not hear if he had survived that attack. "We need to go, I promise to explain what I know. That man...he's not to be trusted." Sasuke's eyes were brown again, the same color of Itachi's.  
"Why should I trust you?" He had a point.  
"You don't have to trust me, but I'm here to help you, un." I held my hand out, letting him decide.  
"What was that I just did?" He asked.  
"It was the Mangekyo Sharingan. It…"

"The Amaterasu Itachi implanted in you…" Madara shocked both of us, appearing back out of the darkness, albeit very burned. He picked his mask from where it had fallen during the attack. "Even in death he still surprises me…"  
"What...are you saying?" At least he distrusted the man as much as I did. Marada explained that Itachi rigged Sasuke's sharingan to attack at the sight of Madara's sharingan. It was in an effort to kill him if Sasuke ended up in his clutches. Of course Itachi had thought of everything.  
"What are you getting at?" Sasuke questioned, not understanding what Itachi had done was to protect him. "Why would Itachi want to…"  
"You still don't get it? Maybe she can explain..." Sasuke turned to me, the fear making my heart hurt.  
"Sasuke-kun…" It clicked with him, but he couldn't bring himself to understand it.  
"It was...to protect you." Madara filled it in.  
"Protect me?" It was hard watching the world he knew shatter around him, no able to tell him all the good he did while Madara was here. "Is that supposed to be funny?" He was in denial of the truth.  
"Sasuke, it's true…" I spoke up, making him look at me again. I wanted him to focus on me, to not listen to the masked man, but it wasn't working.  
"As I said, you knew everything and yet nothing about your brother."  
"Keep screwing with me and I'll kill you…" Sasuke threatened him.  
"I understand why you don't want to listen. A weirdo and some girl you don't know trying to tell you all these shocking things." He gave me a confused look. "You already know from Itachi telling you he had a partner the night of the massacre. It was I, Madara Uchiha that helped him. I know everything there is to know about Itachi...more than you ever did, girl." He was pissing me off by refusing to say my name.  
"Enough!" Sasuke yelled, obviously not taking it well. "I don't care, leave me alone and don't come back!" I touched his shoulder, noticing he didn't slap my hand away.  
"No, it's you mission, your duty…to find out the truth."  
"Stop it, let him have time, un. He doesn't need to know it all at once." I tried, but Marada was going to force it on him when he was obviously not ready.  
"You're only here to prove a point...He needs to know how Itachi lived his life. How he risked everything for his village and most of all, what he did for his little brother." Sasuke was shaking, but allowed me to hold his shoulders to keep him calm. "Now do you see why Itachi didn't want us to cross paths? Why he hid the Amaterasu in you? It was to prevent me from telling you. Although, he didn't do anything for her...his lover. He didn't seem to care if you two crossed paths..."  
Sasuke looked up at me, eyes full of rage. I looked at him, disheartened that he learned that way instead of me explaining what happened. I now saw why Itachi kept me alive...it wouldn't have been as harsh, I would have helped him cope, but now I couldn't do anything more than try to keep him calm.   
"What is this guy trying to say…" Sasuke was asking both of us. He was starting to panic, his breathing harsh again.  
"Think back to your loving brother."  
"No...he tried to kill me...take my eyes…" Itachi was twisted when it came to mind games, I wasn't surprised he'd scared the living hell out of Sasuke. I still didn't understand why he kept this from Sasuke, but it hadn't been my choice.  
"Breath, nice and slow." Madara grabbed his face, but Sasuke threw his hand off him.  
"Keep your hands off me!" I put mine up, letting him know I wouldn't touch him again if he asked. He didn't seem to care if it was me, even backing a bit closer to me. Maybe he sensed I was not a threat to him.  
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I had no choice but to watch as Sasuke broke, the memories, the fabricated lies...all coming together now. He passed out, but Marada made sure I didn't get near him.  
"Shut your mouth. The next time you speak I will kill you." He threatened me as he tied Sasuke up. I had told Sasuke to stop listening to Madara. "You are to only speak when spoken too."  
"Fuck you. I'm not your pet, un." He whipped around, but I stood my ground. "You don't scare me…"  
"You either very brave, or very stupid. Don't be an idiot like your brother…" I clenched my fist, but Sasuke was waking up. Madara sat back on a crate, watching me. "One word, girl."  
"Don't you dare…" I was cut off by Sasuke coughing.  
"I took the liberty of tying you up, don't want you running off now do we?" I wished I could do something, but in this position we were both stuck.  
"Itachi was my enemy…" Sasuke was adimate about it. He explained that Itachi had killed their parents, the clan and was a rogue ninja in the Akatsuki. He was trying to understand that his reality wasn't the real one.  
"True, you're memories are correct about that night." Madara explained every little detail to Sasuke, some things I had only guessed at, but the truth was much harsher than expected. The village had a dark side, a man named Danzō was behind most of the tragedies. The biggest of all was the Uchiha disaster. "To further explain, we must go back to the founding of Konoha." Neither of us were interested in a history lesson, but he explained anyway.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------  
"I'm not falling for this. I don't trust you." Sasuke was right about that, but sadly Madara was telling the truth so far. Itachi had explained some of it, but not all of the story. Madara filled in the gaps, told us the history of the foundation of the village and the bloody wars that still raged within. The hate between Senji and Uchiha and how it trickled into our lives now, setting up the downfall of the Uchaiha and Itachi's fate. He explained that his own brother had given him his eye willingly, allowing him to gain the eternal mangekyo.  
"However, the village was thrown into chaos as soon as they tried to pick a leader, the first Hokage." Of course, Madara wanted to rule, but he was far to ruthless. Hashirama won out, but caused a rift of hatred. He, however, was the one to cause it by leaving the village when he wouldn't back down and try to make peace. It was his fault that the Second Hokage place the Uchiha in charge of the police force to be watched. He had been the catalyst for the down fall, but obviously he wanted the blame to be solely on the village.

"I tried to warn them that it would all happen, but by the time they saw it all, it was too late. The last straw was the nine tails attack. You know all about that though." I was aware that had set something off, but wasn't aware he, again, was the reasoning behind it. If this man had never interfered...Itachi would be here.  
"The Uchiha were not a fault, it was just a freak occurrence. But the Uchiha were blamed." He explained that the Uchiha clan was moved to keep a better eye on them, the only voice that tried to reason was the Third Hokage. However, the Third didn't stop it, even though he had the power to. He was just as guilty.  
"That's when the Uchiha gathered to plan a coup d'etat." Sasuke and I were shocked.  
"That's why he looked heartbroken…" I said softly, ensuing the wrath of the masked bastard. He hit me across the face with the back of his hand. I spat the blood from my mouth at him, not caring what he would do to me. 

"As I was saying...the Leaf's leaders planted a spy...they chose Itachi Uchiha. That's when his life turned into a living hell…" He explained further as to how Itachi was used, given a horrible choice to die with his clan or kill them himself and spare Sasuke. Madara further crushed the boys down by revealing it had been Sasuke's own father that planned the coup. Itachi was forced to serve as a double agent...  
Itachi's life had been full of tragedy, starting from his father's cruelty of taking him to the battlefield at a young age and ending in the only way he could think to atone for it all. I had only known pieces, that he had a very strained relationship with his father and eventually his mother. He never let on as to what happened, but I had wondered all this time. Itachi had kept it from me for my protection, to keep the village off of me when I went there. I knew they would question me, and he did too, so the less I knew, I better off I'd be.  
I listened to the rest of his story. Through all that, he still loved Sasuke until the end. He had even planned out their battle to push Sasuke to the breaking point, just to release him from the curse mark. Madara turned back to me, a chill running through me as he tried to catch my gaze. I refused to look him in the eye.  
"But, it doesn't all end there...Itachi may not have left you with a jutsu, but he left you with a different kind of gift…"  
"It's all a lie!" Sasuke wasn't having any of this. Maradra continued to explain, forgetting me again. I was spared from Sasuke knowing for now. Sasuke continued to struggle, trying to get away from the masked man.  
"You're still alive, aren't you?" Madara asked, shocking Sasuke. The young Uchiha went stiff, finally hit with the realization that Itachi could have easily killed him during their fight.  
"Your eyes didn't see through Itachi one bit…" Madara got up, telling him once again, Itachi killed everyone he loved, even a previous girlfriend, but couldn't kill Sasuke. He released him from his bounds, but Sasuke didn't attack like I thought he would have.  
"She know as well as I how he pumped himself with medications to keep a disease at bay, all so he could fight you and die at your feet. He wanted you to be the hero of the village he loved so much…He left the name Uchiha to you, and deceived you till the end…"  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Madara let both of us go, choosing not to say anymore. He didn't tell Sasuke about me, hoping I'd tell him. Deciding he wasn't in a great space right now, I left it for now.  
"There's a new set of clothes on the desk." I told him, leaving him with his thoughts.  
"Wait." I looked back to see him hiding his face with his hair. "What did you have to do with Itachi?" I bit the inside of my cheek.  
"I...don't have a label for what we were. Lovers...I guess." I thought of us as a couple, but it had neve been stated if he wanted me to take his name or not. "Madara...was right about everything...as far as Itachi's life goes. What he didn't know was Itachi's real self…" He didn't know how he really was.  
"I did...at least…" Sasuke looked up a little, his eyes still covered in shadow. "Tell me, what was he sick with?"  
"I think a degenerative lung disease. From how he coughed…" It was hard to watch when it flared up. There were nights near the end where I'd stay up with him, making sure he didn't choke on his own blood. "The sharingan made it worse. Sasuke about the Mangakyo…"  
"So it has nothing to do with the sharingan…"  
"No, but…"  
"It doesn't affect me...it doesn't matter." He got up to change. "Leave me…" The darkness around him seemed to grow, making the room feel suffocating. If feared if I didn't listen, he'd kill me right then.  
\------------------------------------------------------  
As we got ready to leave, Sasuke went out to look over the ocean and think things over. Even from this distance, I could see he was crying. Madara didn't allow him to grieve for long, wanting him to move on and fall into his trap. Unfortunately, it seemed he had succeeded. Sasuke was going to destroy Konoha and fulfill Madara's wishes. It was what Itachi had wanted to avoid, but he wasn't here to sway him back to the right path.

"From now on, we will no longer be known as Hebi...we will become Taka." I overheard Sasuke tell his group. For now, they served under Akatsuki until something else came up. Sasuke was using the Akatsuki just like his brother had, only he was doing it for the wrong reasons.  
I could no longer convince him to come with me, he was too caught up in avenging his brother, even though Itachi had never wanted that. He had accepted his fate, but Sasuke couldn't. I decided, once the Akatsuki settled on where to send the last two teams, I'd make my move to escape.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one ends a little before Last One catches up. They will catch back up to one another.

Madara made life a living hell from here on. I was never to leave his side, even forced to stay in a room nearby that locked from the outside. Sure, it would be easy to blow up the lock, but Madara would be on me in seconds. It wasn't like I hadn't tried to get out, I'd taken a key once, but he somehow knew where I was. I blamed that new girl, Karin.

It had been at least two months since I learned of the merical in me, which made me about four months along by now. I was really showing, but the black cloak hid it well. All I wanted right now was to get them to a safe place. The door finally opened, the masked man on the other side.  
"Are you going to behave?" I turned away, glaring at the wall. "The more you push against me, the harsher the punishment will be."  
"Then why haven't you gotten rid of me?" He had every opportunity to do it.  
"You have something I want..." The glow of his sharingan seemed to brighten from behind the mask.  
"I won't let you take them, un." I glared at him, absentmindedly putting a hand over the bump protectively. Now I understood what he wanted from me.  
"I don't think you're in any position to threaten me. Your chakra isn't working properly, being diverted to the child in you. You have no power here…" He was only keeping me alive to birth my child, he didn't care what happened to me. "You will still carry your weight around here. Come, we have a meeting to attend." He turned, expecting me to follow like a good dog.  
"I have to pee…" I told him, which made him stiffen. "Hey, you're the one who won't let me go without someone." It was his rule, not mine. I used it to my advantage, mostly to piss him off, but also to hide things. No one questioned why it took a pregnant woman so long in the bathroom.  
"Hurry up…" He lead the way, pissed off he had to take me to the bathroom.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------  
I lifted the back of the toilet, reaching in and taking out the wet plastic bag I'd hidden in the bottom. It held clay, paper explosive tags and two kunai. I'd gathered them all these in the past few days, the most difficult was getting the clay. I had a clay pouch hidden in my cloak, the baby bump keeping the cloak off my hips and hiding the bulky pouch. The kunai were hidden in the side of the pouch along with the tags, hoping I didn't have to use both at the same time. I didn't have much room to hide things, Madara having taken all of my supplies to keep me trapped.  
He banged on the door, letting me know he was done waiting. I re-hide the bag, incase I needed to hide things if things went wrong.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------  
I had to keep my expressions in check when Sasuke announced he was planning on attacking Konoha. I wanted to shake him, tell him that's not what his brother wanted and to stop trying to get unneeded revenge. He was sitting on the opposite side of the table, out of reach and far too close to Madara.  
"Do you have an actual plan?" Madara asked him, to which Sasuke said he had only gotten to the point where he'd eliminate everyone at the top.  
"You Taka kids are very inexperienced...if you aim for the top, the bottom will shield them." Kisame was right, they'd die before getting anywhere. The cocky white haired kid challenged that, challenging Kisame again. Madara was quick to intervene, not wanting a fight to break out here. He shocked everyone, blocking the sword with just his arm.  
"Sasuke, reign your men in…" They argued for a bit more before the Uchiha spoke.  
"Suigetsu, do what you want, but you can't beat him yet." His tone was darker than before.  
Madara went on to explain that Taka and Akatsuki needed each other to obtain their goals. Neither had the numbers to do much damage. Sasuke of course wanted to know what was in it for them, Itachi was already gone.  
"The Bijuu." Madara told him, which impressed Sasuke. However...I wasn't sure he knew what it meant. Sasuke mulled it over, but agreed to go after the eight tails. It was time to leave him, despite the promise I had made. Itachi, forgive me, I can't make him go back.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------  
Madara took me back with him to Amegakure, planning on forcing me to help get the nine tails. Konan just stared at me, like she knew about my condition. Pain was late, saying he had an unexpected visitor to deal with. Apparently he'd fought and won a battle with Jiraiya. If he was that powerful, he'd easily be able to take on Konoha. I listened to them, not really caring what their plan was. I was thinking of ways to leave, it would take the right timing, but I had a plan in place. The moment the opportunity showed itself, I'd make it seem I was taken out by an explosion from a "faulty" bomb. It was a trick that my brother had used during his fight with Konoha and the nine tails. It was risky, but I had no other choice.  
"Konan, get ready to move." Pain stood up as five other people came through the doorway. I was horrified, the six of them giving off the same lifeless aura. "Our target is Konoha." The "leader" of the six spoke. "Nina, you're with us…" It was an order, one I couldn't fight.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------  
The journey wasn't long, but it was bloody. Everyone that crossed our path was slaughtered by Pain, after being asked where the nine tails was. It got worse the closer we got to the village, but it insured no one could run off and warn the village. The last man he questioned had refused and was laying at his feet. With each one, he was getting more irritated.  
"Now, we will split up. One group will cause a diversion while the other will do reconnocince." Pain told us the plan. He explained who would be where, mostly where his bodies would be. "Konan, you're on reconnocince. Nina, you're on diversion. You'll stay mostly on the outside." I was going to blow things up just outside to draw them out, hopefully drawing Naruto out towards me. This was what I wanted, an opening to get away.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------  
Right as Pain landed in the village, I set off a giant C1 scorpion on the south end of Konoha. Ninja came toward me, one of them I recognized as Kakashi Hatake. Well...that wasn't good. He took one look at me and knew I was not the real problem. It didn't stop him from making a clone to chase me while he ran off elsewhere. I needed to talk to him, alone, so I threw C1 fleas to bury themselves and set off when others got in a two foot range. Kakashi saw it, avoiding them, just as I intended. The others backed off, but the clone caught up.  
"You again…" I stopped after reaching his distance limit for the clone. "Why are you doing this? What are you after?" I looked around to make sure the damn plant wasn't listening.  
"I can't explain everything...but they want the nine tails." I told him, stepping forward. "I'm not the one you should be after…"  
"You're a distraction…" He glared at me with his sharingan eye. "What's the truth about Pain?" I shook my head.  
"I have no idea, but they don't feel right, un."  
"Why haven't you run off?" Good question, I had a chance, but I wasn't going in there.  
"Where do I go? Everywhere I go, they'd kill me for treason."  
"Not if you turn yourself in…look, I can't stay, but if you surrender to us, I promise to protect you…" He disappeared in a poof of smoke, most likely needing the chakra to fight Pain.

Surrender...it could work, but first I had to make Madara think I was dead.  
Another ninja caught up, making my plan come together. I don't know who this young woman was, but they were quite skilled in water jutsu. Unfortunately she was too easy and her jutsus were weak against mine, she was trapped in an earth dome that would run out of air in a few hours. She wasn't alone, another Konoha ninja came in not long after with a fire jutsu. He was a little tougher, but he was a close range fighter. The blast from the clay clone his arm got trapped him wouldn't kill him, but he may never hear out of his right ear again. He laid on the ground, knocked out but otherwise unharmed. I still had to make sure it looked like I fought back a little before "dying."  
I ran off a little further, south of Konoha and ran into another ninja. He called his team, quickly making this fight far more interesting. Three on one was more fun and easier to make it look like a tough battle. They almost had me twice, using teamwork to nearly get me tied in a rope. I switched at the last second with a shadow clone, the third aiming for the clone's abdomen. I couldn't let them close again.  
"Damn it, hold still!" I quickly ducked, stepping under him and kicking him in the middle of his back.  
"You bitch…" The woman of the team yelled, nearly getting me with a kunai in the neck. I blocked her with my own, getting her to step back. I dropped more C1 fleas, letting them cluster underground to make an underground hole for them to fall into. I was running out of clay, not that I had much to start with, but just enough for two more clones. It was now or never. I sent a clone into the bushes to hide that fact it was going underground.  
The woman set off the underground trap while the other man ran at me with his katana drawn. It took a moment for the clone to get into place, but it was enough time to get him close enough to stab "me." I switched as the blade pierced my arm, making a deep cut in my arm that I'd worry about later.  
The clone grabbed his arm, making it so he couldn't get away as the suicide clone went off. Again, he would be ok, just shinged. I waited for the woman to get herself out of the hole and check the area for me before digging in the opposite direction. It was all set now, but I still had to keep low for a while before I dared go towards Konoha.  
\----------------------------------------------------------  
The ground broke easily around me when I came back up on a hill, overlooking the destruction. Konoha was gone, the village was nothing but piles of rubble and splintered wood. I felt sick, all those lives lost. I sighed, angry that there had been no way for me to help. I wanted to go there and help, but I couldn't risk Zetsu seeing me. He was around, recording everything including my "death." I had felt him nearby during the fight.  
Deciding it best not to test fate, I left towards a small village near Konoha. Once there, I was able to blend in using a kimono I stole from a shop. The blue and white stripes pinstripe kimono showed off how far along I was, but it was better than the ripped clothing I had been wearing. I stayed in the inn that night, paying with what little money I had left.  
\--------------------------------------------------------  
I didn't sleep, staying on guard incase the bastard had somehow followed me. It was midnight, signaling that he may have thought I was gone. I kept drifting in the chair, jolted awake when my head drooped a little. My stamina was low from the baby, making it very hard to recover from a fight like that. Deciding the traps I set would be alright, I gave in and laid on the rickety bed. Tomorrow, I had to double back and try to get to Konoha before anyone came looking for me. If I was lucky, I wouldn't run into anyone and give myself up peacefully.  
\---------------------------------------------------------  
The dream I had felt so real, the grass and rolling hills seeming to stretch forever. It was beautiful and for once I felt at peace.  
"Nina." I gasped, turning around but not seeing him.  
"Itachi?" I called out, seeing only a crow on a rock nearby.  
"Nina…" The crow burst into more crows, slowly forming into the Uchiha. I ran to him, burying my face into his chest. I cried as he held me, feeling absolutely wiped out from everything. I felt him comb his fingers through my hair, holding me until I calmed down.  
"H-how? I thought…"  
"You are asleep, but I'm guessing you're wearing my necklace?" I must have forgotten to take it off. "It holds some of my chakra, you must have activated part of it with all of the worrying you've been doing."  
"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have done that." He cupped my face, making me look at him.  
"Will you tell me what happened?" He looked so serene, at peace from his life.  
"It's quite the story…" I told him what happened after my death, how I failed to take Sasuke back.  
"That wasn't your job, but thank you for trying to take him with you." He smiled softly. "You can't force him to return, not after Madara poisoned his mind. You did what you could." He pressed out foreheads together. "Are you safe?"  
"Sort of…" I explained my situation, what Pain had done. "The village was destroyed. There's nothing left." He was disheartened by the news.  
"I see...the minute I died I knew Madara would try for Konoha. I had hoped Sasuke would return to help defend it…" He sighed sadly. "At least you're alright. I know you'll be alright, but keep low for now and go in a few days. The longer you are out here, the more likely he'll catch you."  
"He wants something with our child…"  
"I'm sure he does…" He caressed my cheek. "But he doesn't know how much you'll fight for them. I know you…" I wanted to tell him how scared I was, but I'm sure he felt it. "You can do this, you're close to your target. Now, you have to wake up."  
"No…" He hushed me, putting a finger to my lips.  
"Everything will be alright."  
\-------------------------------------------------------  
The sun bled through the thin curtain over my closed eyes, waking me up slowly. I quickly got up, not meaning to sleep that long. I planned to leave before the sun came up. "Shit…" I grabbed my bag and left quickly, hoping no one saw me leave.  
\--------------------------------------------------------  
Luck was not on my side, I had to travel back and forth between different small villages for a few months. There were too many guards patrolling right now, most of them were not friendly.  
It was early February now, I heard news from travelers that Konoha was rebuilding slowly, but would be on guard until the villagers were all safely back inside. So far, only half of them were inside the walls. I wished that it was safe, but I wasn't sure if it had been enough time to not be tracked. I left a different town that night, deciding that I needed to just get there.  
\----------------------------------------------------------  
The little one was very active today, kicking in excitement every time I touched my stomach. They were almost ready to enter the world, but the timing couldn't be worse. I had wanted to establish myself a little before they were born. I wanted them to grow up in a house, not the forest. I sighed, hoping they could wait out the next month.  
"Tsk, what is with you today?" I asked them, placing both hands over where they kicked. They just did it harder, settling down after a few minutes. "I know, I'm excited to meet you too, but you must wait, un." They kicked again, almost as in a protest to being told no. Guess you take after me already…  
The kicking stopped again, this time for a bit longer. I worried if they were ok, deciding to take a break near a large tree with roots sticking out of the ground. I hide in the tangle of roots, resting on the grass below. That's when I felt the first wave of pain.

"What the hell…?" I asked, right as a wetness was felt between my legs. I looked down at the puddle forming under me. "No...no not now." I had read books on pregnancy during my travels and knew my water had just broken. I took my pants off, hating the feeling of wetness there. I was brought to my knees with the next contraction.  
"F-fuck…" I sobbed, the pain far worse than I could have ever imagined. I tried to breathe, counting the time between them to see how soon they'd be coming. After fifteen minutes, another contraction wrecked through my body. I couldn't hold back the cry of pain this time, knowing if anyone was near they would hear. At this point, I needed help anyway, so I just hoped whoever was out there wouldn't try to kill me.  
"Oh gods...why now…" I cursed this situation. "Y-you have a month still…" and I had no way to help them if something went wrong. I screamed again as another one hit, this time ten minutes went by. I ripped my cloak off, planning on using it to wrap the baby in. I made a clone, needing someone to help, and had her help me stay in the birthing position.  
"Aaaaaahhhhh!" I screamed, knowing I wasn't actually ready to push but feeling like I should. "God damnit...Itachi…" I cursed him, but also wanted him to be here. I felt like I couldn't do this anymore, I couldn't do this alone.  
It had been hours like this, right at the point of giving birth but unable to just yet. I wasn't sure if this was normal, how was I to know if something was wrong?  
"Come on, you're almost ready." The clone told me, rubbing my shoulders. "You got this."  
"No...no I can't do it…" I sobbed, feeling tired and weak after two hours. "I-it hurts!"  
"You have to...come on...you're ready to push now." Fucking finally! The next contraction, I pushed with it, feeling like everything inside of me was trying to come out. I don't remember blacking out, but I awoke to the next contraction waking me up and making me scream all over again.  
"I can see it's head, come on…" The clone had moved to be between my legs. "Once more…" I could tell my chakra was giving, the clone was beginning to fail. With one last painful push, I heard them.  
They gave a strong cry, the clone able to place them into the cloak and my arms before disappearing. He coughed once, giving another loud cry to clear his tiny lungs.  
"H-hi there...little one…" I was so tired, but the little one in my arms still needed me. It took a moment to clean him off with the water left in my water bottle. "Shhh...I know, I'm sorry." It wasn't warm, but it's all I had to clean his face with. He finally opened his eyes, revealing that they were blue, like mine. I smiled, crying over the fact that he was finally here.  
I gained some strength back, cutting the umbilical cord after the after birth came. I tied it off using my hair tie, having not expected him for a while, I didn't have anything else. He fused, not liking me touching him there. I calmed him down, rubbing his tummy soothingly in slow circles.  
"It's alright…" I hadn't come up with a name. Realizing this, I came up with a name that honored who his father was, and his best friend. "Hiroshi." He let out a soft coo at his name, seeming to like it. "Mommy is here for you…"  
\--------------------------------------------------------------  
I was very weak, nearly stumbling to the ground a few times and catching myself on a tree. Hiroshi was sleeping soundly, never once disturbed by me tripping. Finally, the broken gate was in sight, relife setting in. As I got closer, two ninjas appeared to stop me.  
"Hault!" The one with a bandage across his nose glared. His partner looked more concerned.  
"Ma'am, are you alright?" The one with the bandana headband asked. The other was quick to come to my side as I fell, landing in his arms. Hiroshi cried, scared he was going to be dropped. I held him tightly, never letting him fall.  
"Izumo, inform the medical team. Ma'am…" My vision was tunneled, focusing on the man. "Oh shit, you're bleeding…" I hadn't noticed, but there was more blood than their should be running down my legs. I heard someone else approach, feeling them take Hiroshi.  
"No! Please…" I tried to reach for my whiling son, only to be told by a woman's voice that it was going to be ok, her pink hair looked very familiar. He wasn't going to be taken, I wouldn't let him be taken. I struggled, but it was useless. I passed out from blood loss, all the while telling them not to hurt Hiroshi.


	10. Chapter 10

There was darkness all around, like I'd been engulfed into an eternal, starless night. I couldn't tell if I was floating or standing on solid ground, the sky, or space, around me was black.  
"Nina…" I heard a far off voice. I looked around, seeing no one, but still heard the disembodied voice call me. I walked towards it, never getting any closer to it. As suddenly as it started, it stopped.  
"No...wait! Don't go!" I called out, my voice echoing around me. "Please...don't leave me!" I begged, only wanting to get out of this nightmare. It was hard to tell if I was getting anywhere, or merely running in a circle. I stopped, frantically looking around, but I was surrounded by nothing, just darkness. As I started to fall into despair, someone touched my shoulder.  
"You're not alone." They said as they laid their head on my shoulder, wrapping their other arm around my waist.  
"Itachi…" I turned a bit to see it was really him. He loosened his hold, allowing me to face him and cup his cheek. "Why…?"  
"You nearly joined me." He gave me a saddened look. "You were saved it seems, but that left you in a temporary limbo." He looked into the darkness to indicate what he meant.  
"Here? You mean...I died?"  
"No, you were near death but did not crossover. Someone pulled you back." It explained why I felt weightless, yet still chained down. "You're recovering, allowing your mind to be free of worry. However…"  
"I can't wake up…" I had tried, but something was keeping me from waking up.  
"Hn…" he smiled softly. "You're recovering, you won't wake until your body feels healed enough." I figured, but I had another to worry about.  
"I just can't stay...Hiroshi needs me." For a moment he was perplexed by who I was talking about. "It...it's a boy…" the way he held me conveyed everything he wanted to say. I felt a wetness on my shoulder, realizing he was crying.  
"Thank you...I…" I held him tighter. "I'm so sorry."  
"He's beautiful...I'm so grateful to have him…" I cried with him, both of us wishing he was here to meet him. "He has your looks." I was joking. Honestly, Hiroshi didn't look like either of us right now.  
"Hn...I hope he takes after you." He teased back, pulling back a bit to look into my eyes. "You are going to be great with him. Don't worry too much...I hear boys are tougher to raise than girls." He was telling what to expect raising him. "Hopefully he doesn't give you too much trouble."  
"Tsk, I never came home without a split lip or scrap when I was a kid…" He laughed, seeing that it really didn't matter, boy or girl, both were hard to raise in different ways. "I just hope he has a happy life…" Itachi's features softened, knowing what I meant. We didn't want him to suffer like we had. So far, it wasn't as we dreamed, but he still had me.  
"He comes from a line of strong people. I'm sure he'll have his mother's fighting spirit…"  
"And his father's intelligence." I got him to blush  
"We can hope…" he was slightly embarrassed still. We felt a shift in the air, the darkness behind me fading until it revealed a doorway of light. "Looks like you can go back." I looked up to see his face had returned to its usual, unreadable expression.  
"I love you…" I kissed his cheek, seeing him smile softly again.  
"I love you too." He kissed my forehead. "It's time to wake up." The light engulfed me as he said this, pulling us away from each other as his words reverberated around me.

My eyes opened into a blinding white room. I took a moment to figure out where I was, sensing I was not alone in the room. I opened them again to see a woman hovering over me. I panicked, trying to jump back, but found I was chained to the bed. Fuck...I'm caught… I was trapped, and my son was not in the room with me.  
"W-where am I...where's Hiroshi!?" My voice cracked, my throat was dry from being out. I was scared they had done something to him while I was out.  
"Easy...he's safe." A silver haired Jonin was also in the room, staring me down with his visible grey eye. "He's being taken care of."  
"Where. Is. He." My voice now held an edge to it, I had to know he was safe before I told them anything.  
"As I said, he's safe in the nursery. Take a breath and calm down. Shizune, would you go get him?" The woman, Shizune, quickly left. I glared at the man, still pissed, but thankful he was willing to give him back. "Now then, let's start with an easy question. What is your name?" His change in attitude threw me for a moment. He seemed bored with me now.  
"Nina from Iwagakure." I waited for him to say who he was, but it didn't happen. I recognized him of course, Kakashi of the Sharingan, but still it was courtesy to introduce yourself.  
"Good, now, Nina, tell us why you're here…" Before I could stop myself, I started sobbing. "Huh? Wait…"  
"I-I'm sorry...I've been trying to get here for so long." I was actually happy, not upset about this. I blamed my hormones being out of whack. "I...ran away from the Akatsuki to save my son...the masked man wanted him."  
"You know I have to ask this, but if it's too difficult to say then don't. Who's his father?" I knew it was coming, but I was unsure of his reaction. "Is it the masked man?" I nearly laughed, but it wasn't out of the question. He could have raped me, but it was not the truth.  
"Tsh...no…" I smiled fondly. "If I tell you, you must promise not to hurt him. He's innocent in all of this, take it out on me if you have to, but leave him alone, un." Kakashi sighed.  
"Alright. I'll vouch for both of you to have asylum here, but in return you must tell me all that you know." I nodded as Shizune came in, holding a little bundle. "You may release her bounds…" Shizune stepped back as an ANBU came in to untie my hands. They were not gentle about it. "Try anything and our deal is off." Kakashi threatened, making sure I knew both our lives were on the line.  
I held Hiroshi close, seeing he was peacefully sleeping. I brushed the blanket away from his face to see him better, making him coo softly. Hiroshi distracted me from noticing the woman and ANBU leaving. Finally, I could look at him closely, taking him all in. His hair was little wisps of dusty, black hair, the same color as Itachi's. He opened his eyes a little for me, showing me he had my eyes. The soft smile he gave me melted my heart.  
"The only reason you're not in an interrogation room is because of your condition. Don't think that can't…" Kakashi ruined the moment.  
"Stop you threats, I already told you I'll tell you what I know." Hiro didn't like how mad I sounded, fussing as I tried to calm him. "This doesn't leave this room…"  
"I can't promise that." He held his hand up to stop me. "I can assure you that only the Hokage and I will know."  
It would have to do, there was nothing I could do to stop him.  
"Fine…" I looked down to Hiroshi again, caressing his face fondly. "I wonder, who he will take after…" The conversation with Itachi still ringing in my mind. I swallowed hard, getting myself ready to say it. "His father...is Itachi Uchiha."  
Kakashi looked like I'd shit in his cereal. His face, what little I could see, was a mix of shock and anger.  
"I know what you're thinking, even with your face covered, you're easy to read." I looked to him with a smirk. "There's a lot you don't know about him…"  
"The Masked Man came to us and told us... somethings. Are they true?" Figures Madara, or whoever he was, would spread that around. I sighed, which was enough for him.  
"Yes. What he left out was that Itachi and another man, Shisui, tried to stop it. If Danzō had not taken Shisui's eye…"  
"Are you saying Itach never intended to kill his clan?" Kakashi's voice was strangely calm again, alarming me. "Did he tell you this?"  
"Yes." Hiroshi started fussing again. I had no idea what he needed, suddenly realizing I had no idea how to care for a child. His cute little face was scrunched as he fussed, really getting upset that I didn't know what he wanted.  
"Erm...he wants fed." Kakashi was looking at the floor, acting embarrassed all the sudden.  
"How do you know?"I asked as I moved to take the top off the medical gown. He turned his head so he couldn't see me out of his good eye. "Tsh, what? Never seen a woman feed her baby before?" Was he just being polite?  
"It's not that...anyway, I just know. What else do you know about the Masked Man?" He looked back, but kept avoiding looking towards my chest. Hiroshi was blocking any view of anything of interest, happily sucking until he got his fill. It was the strangest feeling, but I felt nothing but love for him as he fed.  
"He's intent on taking on all of the nations. He's also manipulative, he's twisted Sasuke's mind…" Seeing how twisted he had become…I tore me up. Hiroshi made a sound, like he felt what I was feeling. "Also, it's known that once you give him what he wants, you're no longer useful to him. He'll dispatch anyone he deems no longer useful." I knew what Sasuke's fate would be if he stayed. If I hadn't ran, there was no doubt he would have killed me.  
"You tried to make him leave, didn't you?" I must have let it show I cared, Kakashi just gave me a knowing look.  
"He's hellbent on getting revenge on the Leaf...I did try, but he will not listen to anyone. If someone could get through to him…"  
"You don't think Sasuke's evil?" I thought on it for a moment, looking at Hiroshi as he fed. He made me realize, no one was truly evil. We're all pure when we're born, for the most part, and life twists us into monsters.  
"No, his heart maybe in the dark right now, but he wasn't that way before Madara. If he hadn't twisted Itachi's intent, he might have come back."  
"What was his intent?"  
"For him to return a hero. After killing Itachi, Sasuke was supposed to return here…"

More questions followed, but I didn't know the Akatsuki's final plan. I knew they were gathering the Bijuu, but as far as I know, it was to use their powers to threaten war upon the nations. Somehow, that was supposed to stop war from ever happening again. That was the fucked part, threaten war to stop war wasn't a way to get peace.  
"I wish I had more information, but that's all I have." I only wished to be of more help.  
"No, you've done fine." Kakashi gave me a strange eye smile. "Our deal stands, you and your son have asylum here. However, until we know what you say is true, you will be under surveillance." That was fair, but I still didn't like it.  
"Why would I come all this way just to fuck everything up, un?"  
"Fair enough. Still, you were part of Akatsuki. Let's just say our trust for each other is shaky at best. For now, focus on your recovery for him." He looked pointedly at my son. "He needs you." Kakashi left with that, leaving me alone with Hiroshi.  
He had finished eating, fussing again as I shifted to pull my shirt up. I knew he needed burped from seeing mothers on the streets, but I had no idea about the spit up.  
"Oh...boy…" That was gross. I pinged a nurse to help, unable to move too much. I was still pretty weak from blood loss. Hiroshi cried, his tiny face scrunched up in a fit from getting his dinner all over himself.  
"Shh shhh." I rocked him, not really as bothered by it as I thought. "It's alright, I'm here." His crying calmed, but I understood that it was not pleasant to be covered in your own vomit. "See, everything is ok…" I said it more for myself, feeling that I wasn't up for the challenge of caring for him. I know, it wasn't what moms should think, but could I give him what he needed? Could I provide a life where he would be happy and, mostly, care free?  
Itachi's words came back to me, that I could do this. I just had to believe in myself.  
"I'll do my best…" I smiled softly, resolving to do everything in my power to keep him safe.

I was released a few days later from the hospital. They ran more tests on me and Hiroshi to make sure we were ok. Hiroshi was small, but very strong and healthy. One nurse even got a tiny smile from him when she gave him a bath. My heart swelled every time I saw his tiny face light up. Deep down, I knew he wasn't really controlling himself, but it was damn cute.  
The ANBU escorts outside the hospital were not as friendly as the staff inside. They didn't speak to me unless necessary, which was maybe two or so words.  
"This way." The woman of the team tapped my arm to tell me to move. If I wasn't carrying a precious little one, she might have pushed me. Her partner said nothing, only following us like a loyal dog. I wished they would say something, it was irritating and offsetting that I had no idea where they were taking me.

We weaved around for a while, the village still repairing after the fight with Pain. I shuddered to think how terrifying it all had to have been.  
"Here." We stopped suddenly at a small shop. "This is where you will stay. It's paid out for a few months to give you time to find a job."  
"What about the shop below? Does it…" They were gone when I turned to ask if there was anything there. I rolled my eyes, unlocking the door that lead to a set of stairs. Up the stairs was the door to the apartment.  
"Of course...stairs." Normally it wouldn't have bothered me, but I wasn't at one hundred percent yet and had a baby to carry.

The inside was small, but the view was nice. There was a bay window that looked over the street and buildings next door. The beauty was behind all of that. The Hokage monument was just above the rooftops, making it look like they were looking over their village.  
It would be stunning at sunset. I thought to myself.  
To my surprise, there was furniture already in the apartment. Nothing fancy, but there was a table, chairs and a bookshelf. Through the doorway, I saw someone had even gotten a small bed and a white crib for Hiroshi.  
There was only one room, but it was big enough for both of us for now. It would be a project for a much later time, but eventually I could knock down a wall and turn the coat closet into another room. The bathroom was between the kitchen and the bedroom. It was very small, but do able, even if the door hit the toilet. I heard there was a hot spring in Konoha, so if I wanted a bath I guess I would have to go there. The kitchen was on the other side of the wall, and if it were smaller, the fridge might not open. Even now, it hit the counter on the other side.  
I have to admit though, as tiny as this place was, it was far better than living on the street. Kakashi didn't have to do any of this for me, but he did. I owed him a huge debt…  
"Well...it's small, but it's home." I told Hiroshi, sitting on the windowsill of the bay window. "But, we have a nice view." I tickled his belly, making him smile softly and grip onto my fingers. "Once we get some furniture, it'll feel more like home." I told myself, feeling a little claustrophobic from the dark wood paneling on the walls. For now, it felt like more of a prison than a home. Hiroshi fussed, seeming to not like the closing in feeling either.  
"Trust me, my little crow, this is far better than we could have had. One day, this place will be our home." I promised, no matter how hard it was going to be, I'd make this village our home. I'd take the ridicule, they could call me what they wanted, hate me, but as long as I was around, they would never bring my son down.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are two chapters in one. 
> 
> Please R&R!

When the war was first declared, I volunteered my help to stop Madara. The Hokage was impressed by my boldness, considering I was still under probation for my crimes. I could tell she was holding back a laugh. I would have too I guess, seeing a woman with a baby rush into your office must have been pretty comical.

“And who is going to care for you child?” Lady Tsunade asked as she leaned forward at her desk, putting her head in her hands. “There’s no one that can watch him if you leave. Therefore, you cannot assist us in the war.” Her words were harsh but true. “You’ve given us all the information you have, there’s nothing more for you to do. I suggest you focus on yourself and your child for the time being.” The blonde woman waved me off, waiting for me to leave.   
I sighed, knowing there wasn’t anything for me to do, but I needed something to do. Refugee funds from the village only went so far and I was desperate for a job.  
“Is there something else?” Kakashi-san asked. He happened to be in a meeting with Lady Tsunade before I came in.   
“N-no.” I couldn’t ask for more, not from him. I already owed him my life.  
“Let me guess, you need the money a job like this would pay, don’t you?” Damn, she was perspective. “Nina, as a war criminal, there’s only so many strings I can pull even as the Hokage. The fact you’re here with him is a fucking mirical. I can’t push it any further.” She looked at Hiroshi to make her point.

“T-that’s not...no I’d never ask that!” I didn’t mean to be that much trouble…  
“Hm, if the issue is money, maybe we can help you there.” Kakashi spoke up. “The shop below your home is for sale, right? Have you inquired about opening your own?”   
“Er...I hadn’t thought about it.” I’d been busy with trying to make ends meet by selling small trinkets I made with my clay. That, and the landlord didn’t like me all that much. I’m pretty sure he was the one that spit at my door and left cigarette butts outside the shop.   
“I can go with you if you’d like…” Kakashi-san offered, but I quickly told him it was fine. I’d never admit out loud, but it was kind of nice having someone looking out for me. It was just a little embarrassing for me, seeing as I’d gotten by alone most of my life.   
\----------------------------------------------------------   
I heard from down the line that every available shinobi was being called away from the village, leaving the village in the care of the women, children and Genin. The few Jonin left were to make sure the village was running and one was the ANBU guard that watched me. I wanted to ask him if it bothered him he was watching me instead of fighting, but he never came close enough to the window to hear me. In all reality, what was I going to do? Blow up the village my son was living in? Fat chance.   
I watched him from my window, sitting up on the rooftop across the street. I wondered if he could actually see me in the darkness of the apartment. It must be lonely up there on the roof. Had he been close to the window, I may have offered him tea, if he was allowed to accept it. I don’t know why I felt for the ANBU, but I did. Maybe because he was stuck doing a pointless job. At least he was free to come and go as he pleased, I was not.  
\----------------------------------------------------------  
The ANBU stopped showing up after a few months as tails of the war preparation came down the line. It was a bit of a surprise that he was called away, but I was glad there wasn’t someone always watching through my windows at night. Then again, the nights were getting colder as fall now loomed, I would feel bad if he had to be out there all night in the cold.  
From the rumors floating around, I was able to piece together what was happening outside the gates. Someone had used an Impure Resurrection jutsu and was raising an army of the undead. The worst part was that most of the old Akatsuki members were resurrected. They would be free to cause destruction, but not by their free will. I wondered if Itachi was out there, fighting against his own village. Was he one that didn’t have any freewill at all, being used as nothing but an empty shell for his power? 

“No, I can’t think on that…” I scolded myself, accidentally waking Hiroshi in the other room. “Sorry, mommy didn’t mean to yell.” I said softly as I picked him up. Hiroshi wasn’t crying, just fussing at the loud noise I made. He didn’t like loud noises, so he didn’t cry too much, not liking the noises he made either. I don’t know how I got so lucky with him, every other mother in town was jealous that he hardly fussed while out shopping or on walks. He only made a little noise and balled his little hands up when he got mad or hungry.  
“See, everything is ok.” I cooed at him as he settled back down in my arms, his head on my shoulder. At least I still had him.  
\--------------------------------------------------------  
I was awoken by a faint red glow in my room. I opened my eyes a little to see that Itachi’s necklace was glowing. It wasn’t very bright, but just enough to illuminate around the nightstand. It had never done that before...that’s when I heard Hiroshi fuss, but not in our room.

“Shh...let her rest.” A male’s voice came from the living room. I leapt up, grabbing my kunai and slammed the door open, ready to attack the asshat who decided to try to take him. I froze when I saw their silhouette, not believing my eyes. Hiroshi started to cry softly from the door banging against the wall, which made the figure rock him.  
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” The man said as he slowly turned towards me. “He was starting up when I came in.” The kunai I had clattered to the floor as my knees gave out. He was quick to swoop in and kept me upright.   
“I-Itachi?” Now that he was closer, I could see his face clearly. The sclera of his eyes were black and he now wore a burgundy cloak, but it was him. I touched his face, noting how cold he felt.  
“Sort of. I’m a clone sent here for you. The necklace I gave you, it holds some of my chakra.” I knew that, but let him continue. “I used it to a reverse summons on a clone to find you. I had to know…” He looked down at the little bundle he held. “That you two made it.” The smile he gave broke my heart.  
I was still just stunned he was here and hadn’t been able to say anything as of yet, and now I couldn’t. I lost it, gripping his cloak I buried my face into his chest and cried. I felt his free hand stroking my hair, waiting for me to calm down.  
“I should have never left you alone. Forgive me if you can, but know I never intended to hurt you.” He spoke into my hair. I had never heard him speak so softly, like he was broken. I looked up to see him crying too, though he never let on, not even his voice betrayed him. “Is everything…” He looked around, seeing our tiny apartment.  
“It’s ok. Everything. Is, I mean.” My thoughts were a bit scrambled still, but I could talk now. Sure, the village wasn’t always the nicest to me, but we were allowed to live here. “And he’s fine too.” I stroked Hiroshi’s wispy hair back. His eyes were open, taking everything in. I wish he would remember this moment, but he was still too young and wouldn’t remember meeting his father.   
“He’s beautiful…” Itachi’s voice was softer with him, which seemed too soothe Hiro. “How old is he now?”   
“He will be on nine months on October fourteenth.” I had been keeping track of his growth almost everyday. “His name is Hiroshi.” Itachi smiled softly at the mention of his name. The two of us just watched him for a while, squeezing as much family time we could before this jutsu broke.

“What is it like out there, un?” I asked. “How did you break free?”  
“You remember the crow that held Shisui’s eye?” I nodded, not understanding where this was going. “I used his kotoamatsukami to break Kabuto’s hold on me. He’s the one who deployed the resurrection jutsu. Currently, Sasuke and I are on the way to take him down.”  
“Sasuke’s with you?”   
“Yes. He followed me when we crossed paths in the forest. He was supposed to go to the battlefields, but I suppose I can use the help.” I noticed he was being more open with me now.  
“Itachi…”  
“I’ve done some many things I regret. I cannot lie to you anymore, I never should have in the first place. I’ve had time to reconsider things in death...there’s a lot I would have done differently.” He explained without me having to ask. “If I had told everyone the truth to begin with… maybe we could have been a real family.” He put his hand over Hiroshi’s heart, letting him grab his fingers to play with.   
I couldn’t begin to understand the pressure he had been under, but I knew there was another force at play that made him do what he did. Their Third Hokage sounded like he didn’t care what happened to the Uchiha’s and let Danzo do as he pleased. If anything, it had been his fault, not Itachi’s. Of course, voicing this made others very angry, but sometimes the truth hurts.

“In a different world, we would be.” I agreed with him, pulling him in for a kiss. It wasn’t the same as when he was alive, but the passion was still there. He stopped me after a moment, putting out foreheads together.  
“There isn’t much time left for me here. Our fight with Kabuto is nearing its end.” It was unsaid, but I don’t think I was supposed to know he was here. “I can rest a little easier knowing that you and Hiroshi are safe.” There were things I wanted to say, to ask, but it wasn’t the right time now.   
“I know you asked if I forgave you...but I never blamed you for anything. You were my best friend.” He only ever supported me and was as friendly as he could be when he was alive. “I...I love you. That won’t change for anything.”  
“Nina…” He sounded happy, but his face didn’t show it. “Thank you. You didn’t have to...but thank you.” He carefully passed Hiroshi back over to me as he started to disintegrate. “I can feel myself losing my hold to this world. Before I go, I wanted to share with you some words of truth. Both of you...no matter what you do in life, I will love you, always.” He kissed Hiroshi’s forehead before giving me one last kiss as he departed for the last time. His clone scattered into fine particles that were floating up.  
“Thank you, Itachi.” It was hard saying goodbye again, but my wish of him meeting Hiro came true. The particles that didn’t float scattered around us, a few landing on Hiroshi, making him giggle. I prayed he remembered this.  
\---------------------------------------------------   
This village was testing me to my limits again, but I hadn’t caved into them yet. Most of them had no idea who I was, but they still whispered about me being an unwed mother at a young age. You would think that eventually they’d get over it, but apparently there wasn’t much else going on so I was the topic of their gossip for months. I mean, it wasn’t like there was a war going on during this time or anything...   
I mostly ignored them anymore, the others that knew who I was though were the ones I looked out for. They were a threat to Hiroshi.  
Their saving grace was the fact they didn’t know who his father was, but it didn’t stop rumors. My favorite one was that he was the spawn of the “god” the Akatsuki worshiped and was one day going to destroy the village. Sure, it wasn’t funny to them, but to me it was. How could people fear a baby so much? What was he going to do, kill them with his cuteness? 

Despite the ridicule, I was able to buy the shop below me and opened my own business, possibly due to Kakashi. It might also have been because the owner couldn’t sell it because I lived above it, but either way, I got it at a very discounted price. It was already set up to be a pottery or a glass shop, so there wasn’t too much renovation to do either. However, I learned that I couldn’t do it on my own with Hiro in my arms. He was adamant about me holding him most of the day, crying anytime I tried to set him down to nap. Ever since Itachi’s visit from beyond, he wanted held all of the time.  
“Shhh shhh...it’s ok.” I sighed, picking him up once more from the portable crib. “I’m right here little crow…” I had so much to do, but no way to get it all done. Even my clones couldn’t do much before my exhaustion caught up to me. Babies were tiring.

I watched out the front window as I rocked him back to sleep, wondering if I could really get this all done before the shop opened in three days. I blinked a few times, not beliving that I saw two kids sneak out of the alley way across the street. They looked about six years old, but I never saw anyone with them. What in the world…? I thought to myself as they passed under the window. I tucked Hiroshi back into the holster to hold him and followed the kids to the end of the street.

“Hey! You two, where are your parents, un?” They froze, slowly turning around to look at me. The two of them looked scared, but there was a determination behind their eyes that I couldn’t ignore.   
“We...um…” The girl started, but the boy quickly covered for her.  
“We’re heading home right now!” He was a little too quick to answer.  
“Really? And they were ok with letting you two out on your own?” They both refused to look me in the eye now. “Come on you two, where are you really going?”   
“We’re trying to see our friend. She was one of the kids that got...hypnotised or whatever.” The red head broke before her friend, not wanting to get into trouble.  
“I see. And this friend of yours lives where? I’m guessing not anywhere near here, un.” They both kind of nodded,cluing me in that they lived on the other side of the village. Then, I had an idea. “Make you two a deal, I’ll go with you and pretend to be your guardian.”   
“And in return?” The burnette was skeptical, but willing to listen.  
“I need a pair of helpers to set up my shop.” The boys face dropped, but I couldn’t see the girls reaction since she had a mask covering the lower part of her face. “And I think I found two willing volunteers. Unless, you just want me to take you home right now.” That brought fear back into their eyes. They were quiet for a moment, debating on whether to agree or run for it. If they tried, there was no way they’d get very far. I could sent clones after them and drag them inside the shop until their parents came.  
“Fine. We accept.” The boy pouted but gave in. I smiled softly at them, hoping they understood I only wanted to help. In order to do that, I had to gain a bit of their trust.  
“Before we head off, I’m Nina. And you two are…?”   
“I’m Aurora and this is Sora.” The girl, Aurora, told me. I knew that name...I had over heard it once when...Kakashi! Oh shit this was Kakashi-san’s kid? I had to tread very carefully now. He had done so much for me, now here I was trying to keep his kid out of trouble. I quickly composed myself over the initial shock.   
“Nice to meet you two. Now then, shall we?”   
\------------------------------------------------  
Sora didn’t seem to happy that I had caught them, but I figured it would be better for them to get caught with me. If any of the jonin questioned them now, they had me to back them up, even if my word only went so far.   
“So, why are you helping us? Don’t you have...well, a baby to care about?” Sora settled near my right side to look over at Hiroshi.  
“I do, but I also can’t let two kids wander around without supervision.” It wasn’t safe for them. I was aware of what was going on with the children of Konoha, but I wasn’t allowed to help. This was my way of trying to show them I could help. It was selfish, I knew that deep down.  
“Is it a girl?” Sora asked, standing on his tiptoes as we walked to see my son better  
“No, he’s a boy.” I laughed, looking Hiroshi over. “Though he is pretty enough to pass as a girl. His name is Hiroshi.” I stopped and knelt down to show them his face. Both of them got starry eyed when they saw his little face. Aurora got curious and gently poked his cheek, making him coo. Like her, I found his cheeks irresistibly squishy and found myself poking his soft cheeks a few times too. He was just too cute.   
He was getting bigger everyday, but almost at nine months, he was still small enough to be swaddled and carried in the cloth holster. Everytime I noticed he’d grown more, he looked more and more like his daddy.   
“So...where’s his dad?” Sora asked, sounding unsure if he should ask. It was almost as if the kid had read my mind. I had to compose myself for a moment, I didn’t want them to know how much it hurt not having Itachi here. “I-I didn’t mean to...I’m sorry.” Sora quickly backtracked, thinking he had made me mad.  
“It’s ok. You didn’t know.” I gave a heavy sigh, holding back my tears as best I could. “He...isn’t here anymore. He died protecting this village.” I didn’t say his name, not wanting them to spread that around. “Anyway, don’t you two have a personal mission to go on?” I poked Aurora’s forehead and then Sora’s.   
\----------------------------------------------------------  
The kids were pretty quiet on where their friend lived, but once the gates were in sight, I realised they intended to leave the village. I took Aurora’s hand and pulled her back towards me, Sora following along.  
“I’m sorry...I know I said I would take you, but I can’t.”   
“But you promised…” Sora started, but I cut him off.  
“I know, I know. But I can’t leave...and without anyone to guide you, you can’t either. I assumed they were in the village, not on outside of it.” I was trapped here too, but for very different reasons. If I left, Hiroshi would be taken from me and I’d be considered a missing nin again.   
“We...should have mentioned she lives on a farm.” Sora admitted, both of them looking very guilty. “But we’ve come this far! We can’t just stop here!”  
“Sora, Nina’s right. We can’t leave without a Jonin guide and none of them are going to help us right now. They’re busy doing...stuff.” Aurora was at least being the voice of reason between the two.  
“But what about…” Sora started, but I interrupted him again.  
“I think I have the answer to that.” I removed the fingerless glove from my left hand with my teeth and pulled a piece of clay from my pocket. “It’s not to be placed anywhere near fire or heat, but this should help you.” I warned them as I opened my hand, revealing a small clay dove. There was very little explosive chakra put into it, but it could still ignite if put close to a fire.

“Ok, hold out your palms.” They did, allowing me to tie their chakras into the bird so it would return to them and not me. They wrote a quick note and the dove took off at breakneck speed. “Ok, now it’s time for you to go home.” I took Sora’s hand to lead him away from the gate. “I don’t want you getting into trouble, un. Come on, it’s getting late.”. The sun had long since set, the full moon just peeking over the Hokage monument. It was far too late for these two to still be out. “I’m sure your friend will be fine…” As I said that, someone landed in front of us. It was the ANBU that had been sent to watch over me. He must have been here this whole time, so why come out now?  
“There you are!” I heard a woman call as she came around the corner carrying her own child, another slightly older woman not far behind. The dark haired woman with the baby knelt in front of the kids, looking them over.   
“I found them running through the village…” I started, but the older woman sneered at me.  
“Shut up! You of all people...how dare you take our children!” She was pleasant... “Do you realize what could have happened?”  
“Yes, which is why I followed them. Look, I get wanting you protect them, but locking kids up inside isn’t going to solve it, un. I know I should have alerted you about them, I just figured if someone was with them they could get a bit of freedom.” I stopped the bitch from chewing me out. It was really kind of on her that her son was out in town without her. “No one likes being caged in…”  
“I thank you for watching over them and stopping them from leaving the village.” The woman in front of us stood up and put her free hand on my shoulder. “They’re a handful...but you kept them safe. What do we…”  
“Don't worry, their debt is to help in the shop, that is if it’s alright with you, un?” I looked toward the baffled woman, who was in disbelief that someone agreed with me. “I can escort them back and forth of it helps.”  
“Fine.” The angry woman was short but agreed. She took Sora’s hand to lead him away when the ground trembled. The moon suddenly got brighter, but something told me not to look at it.  
“What the…” I was lucky to be wearing Itachi’s necklace, the faint red glow alerting me that my intuition was correct. Hiroshi started crying, wailing louder than he normally would, scared out of his tiny mind. I looked over to the others and saw their eyes, the purple swirl in his eyes told me it was a renegain based jutsu. We were fucked if we looked…  
As the others fell to it, I was able to keep Aurora from looking. I grabbed her, forcing her to turn away before she looked as tree roots started sprouting around us.   
“Whatever you do, don’t look at the moon!” I told her as we ran off towards my shop. It would give us the cover we needed and away from the roots.   
Had I been thinking straight, I would have remembered the huge window on the building across from me. I hadn’t factored that the reflection would be just as powerful. Both Aurora and I froze, stuck in the jutsu. I was able to move a little bit, blocking the tree root aimed for Aurora and getting caught first. The root quickly wrapped around me, trying to pull Hiroshi away into a different casing. It gave up when I refused to let him go, choosing to trap both of us together. Hiroshi’s cries started to die down as I tried to fight our way out, like he was being lulled to sleep. I think the necklace kept me awake for longer that I should have been, but even it wasn’t enough to fully break the trees hold. Slowly I felt myself fading, growing too weak to continue tearing at our casing.   
\-------------------------------------------  
I awoke to the sounds of birds and the feel of fresh air drifting in. I quickly got up, not recognizing where I was at all. The rice paper walls were elegant, more than I’d ever be able to afford. One of the walls was actually a sliding door that was open, letting in the breeze from a flower filled garden. The bed laid on a soft tatami mat in the middle of this room but was almost as big as the room itself. Was this heaven?   
I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard Hiroshi laughing. As much as I wanted to stay in the soft bed, my maternal instincts were stronger. The hallway led to a large living area, where I found Hiroshi holding himself up on the couch there, drooling all over the arm. It wasn’t long before he fell back on his butt, laughing as he did.   
“Hn, you are easy to entertain.” I heard his voice from the other side of a chair in front of me. He wasn’t facing me, but I knew who it was. I watched Itachi stand up and lift Hiroshi over his head, alighting a giggle from our son. “My little Hiro.” Itachi smiled as He brought him close again. “You’re awake.” He looked over to me and smiled.  
“Itachi…” Not again...my heart couldn’t deal with another goodbye.  
“Is everything alright?” he came to me, holding Hiroshi, concerned that I wasn’t reacting the way he wanted.  
“I…” Was terribly confused. He was normal, no cracks in his skin or black sclera. How was this possible?! “Is this a jutsu?”   
“What do you mean?” He cupped my cheek, making me look into his eyes.   
“You’re...gone and yet…” My mind was reeling on if this was real or not. “How are you here?”  
“Does it matter? I am here for you two now.” I wanted to believe this was real, but it felt wrong. “I promised to always watch over you, to be with you forever. Isn't this what you always wanted?”   
I looked at Hiroshi, seeing how happy he was to have both of us. It was all that I had ever wanted, all I ever dreamed. Could I just forget this wasn’t real?  
“Itachi…”  
“Is that all you can say?” He teased me, kissing my forehead. “Forgive me for not understanding what is wrong. I’ll try…”  
“No, everything is perfect…” If this was a dream, I didn’t want to wake up just yet, I wanted to indulge for just a little while. I wanted our family to be complete, just for a little while.


End file.
